Manchester City will demand at least £60m from Rodri if they are to sell the World Cup winner this summer. The Spaniard wants a move to Camp Nou and so the Blues will reluctantly not stand in his way, but only if they get a fee that reflects his worth.
World Cup boost and interest
While the 30-year-old is into the final year of his contract at the Etihad, his value has shot up after being named as the best player at the World Cup before lifting the trophy with Spain. Real Madrid changed their transfer plans to try to convince him to join them and now Barcelona have swooped.
City's policy and fee demands
City have a longstanding policy of not keeping unhappy players and are believed to have accepted Rodri's wishes after attempts to tie him down to a new contract were not successful. Given he wants a move this summer, the Blues would rather accept a fee that can be reinvested in the squad rather than force him to stay and run down his current deal.
However, that figure is believed to be at least £60m - significantly higher than some reports of the money Barcelona were interested in offering. There are numerous example of City turning down moves that were wanted by their players because the money involved was not enough.
Timing and replacements
Rodri is not scheduled to report back to Manchester for the start of his pre-season until next week ahead of the Community Shield, although Barcelona will be hoping to seal a deal with City before then. The club are also intent on replacing any players who leave in the final weeks of the window, with Maresca seeking experience to make up for the senior players who have departed this summer.
Rodri would add to that loss of leadership and also require a significant fee to bring somebody in on top of the £116m paid for Elliot Anderson and the £85m that City could end up spending to land Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi. Tijjani Reijnders is another midfielder expected to leave, and he too would be replaced.
