Man City Reject First Rodri Bid, ‘Dream’ Replacement Identified

At the Etihad Stadium, it’s policy to replace every player who leaves.

Rodri needs Barcelona to offer Man City more money. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images)

Manchester City are not expected to settle for Ayyoub Bouaddi being a Rodri replacement and, even after also setting a new club record to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, could still try to spend what would certainly have to be another huge sum on Enzo Fernández.

The two deals for Anderson, who signed in early July before being unveiled once his 2026 World Cup involvement with England concluded, and Bouaddi, not yet complete but widely believed to be close, will reach $267 million (£198 million).

Resurrecting Fernández interest first reported before the end of last season could see that spending top $400 million should Rodri be sold, perhaps most likely to be Barcelona over Real Madrid after a Catalan hijack attempt began. 

The Manchester Evening News explains that City will operate a replacement policy for anyone who leaves the club in the remainder of the summer window. In addition to Rodri, that potentially also means Tijjani Reijnders, who is now heavily linked with Nottingham Forest.

Together with Bouaddi, it could mean three new midfielders joining the club this month alone. Anyone else who leaves would also be replaced—winger Savinho, for example.

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First Rodri Bid Rejected

Man City say Rodri is worth more. | Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images

For now, at least, Rodri remains a City player. The club is “open to selling” the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, according to BBC Sport, but have turned down Barcelona’s first offer.

That came in at $52 million (£38.5 million), falling short of an asking price almost double. City want a figure in excess of $81 million (£60 million) to let Rodri go.

Despite previously talking up a Real Madrid transfer and actually hailing from the city, the player himself is said to have approved negotiations with Barcelona. The same report even suggests that talks with Real Madrid have stopped completely.

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Enzo Fernández Is ‘Dream’ Rodri Replacement

Enzo Maresca is keen to reunite with his namesake. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Gianluca Di Marzio writes that Enzo Maresca’s “dream” to replace Rodri “has a specific name.” That name is Enzo Fernández.

There is an obvious connection given their 18 months together at Chelsea, which ended in January following an approach from City about potentially replacing Pep Guardiola. Maresca had named Fernández one of Chelsea’s vice-captains in 2024.

It had appeared that Fernández might be out of options to leave Stamford Bridge this summer. He openly pined for Real Madrid on more than one occasion last season without getting much back from the Spanish capital, while joining Paris Saint-Germain never felt very plausible.

City’s interest, which came as an opportunistic surprise, emerged in late April. But within a matter of weeks it faded and no approach for the Argentina midfielder was expected this year.

That could be changing as City at least now “consider” targeting him one more. Whether Chelsea have any intention of selling, and at what price, is another matter entirely and could kill any pursuit from Manchester before it truly gets going.

In that scenario, City would need to look elsewhere to replace Rodri—but directly replacing him in some way if Barcelona do manage to strike a deal looks a near certainty.

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