Man City reject Barcelona's Rodri bid and fire 'not serious' warning

Manchester City have rejected Barcelona's opening offer for Rodri, making clear they have no intention of selling the Spain midfielder on the cheap. Barcelona have moved to the front of the race for the 30-year-old after convincing him to turn down Real Madrid. Rodri was initially leaning toward a return to his home city, but the LaLiga champions' pitch won him over. Their playing style suits him, and he would be surrounded by familiar faces from the Spanish national team - a Spain squad that famously contained no Real Madrid players. Rodri is now pushing to move to Catalonia, and Barcelona believe they can eventually reach an agreement with Manchester City. City, though, are sending the same message they gave Real Madrid earlier in the summer: they do not want to sell, even with only a year left on his contract and no sign of an extension. According to insider, Barcelona's first offer came in at around €45m. It did not move City. The Premier League club's response was blunt, with the bid not even treated as a serious proposal. Ornstein wrote: "The Premier League side insist no meaningful club-to-club talks are currently taking place, as a bid they consider serious has yet to be made." It may be a deliberate tactic from Barcelona, an attempt to increase the pressure and nudge Rodri toward handing in a transfer request. By starting low, they avoid overpaying for the veteran, even if reports in Spain suggest they could eventually go up to €60m. City's valuation, though, is closer to €80m. If no one meets it, they are prepared to let Rodri run down his contract rather than accept a deal that does not reflect his worth. Whether Barcelona return with a fresh offer remains to be seen. What is already clear is that this saga has plenty of life left in it.