True cost of Rodri revealed: Barcelona to spend €210m on Man City ace

14 Aug 2026 08:31 BST | 4 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

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Barcelona are closing in on a deal to sign Rodri from Manchester City – but the total cost for the World Cup winner promises to be an astronomical €210 million, according to a report from Spain.

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Rodri may be entering the last year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium, but the Spain midfielder remains a prized possession of City, who are unwilling to allow the 30-year-old to depart easily.

Although the former Atletico Madrid player has made it clear that he wants to return to his homeland this summer, Barcelona are in the midst of a fight to prise the World Cup Golden Ball winner away from the Premier League giants.

Current ETV

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

ETV Range

€53.3M - €65.1M

Man City fight Barca over Rodri fee

Man City have already rejected two offers from Barcelona for Rodri. The Catalans are thought to have bid around €60m for the player only to be told that City are sticking by their €80m valuation.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Barcelona are ready to return with a third bid around the €70m mark and are confident this will be enough to get City’s agreement.

It would certainly seem to represent a fair price given that Rodri’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has dipped to €59m, largely due to his expiring deal.

But the transfer fee is only part of the story when it comes to Barcelona’s total spend on the player, according to a report from AS.

© IMAGO - Rodri: Man City star won the 2024 Ballon d'Or

The total cost of signing Rodri revealed

The Blaugrana will spend a total of €210m on Rodri, including his transfer fee, agent commission and his salary.

AS claims that Rodri will earn a net salary of €15m per year over the course of his four-season stay with Barcelona. Local taxes drive the cost of this deal up to €34m per year for the club, coming out at a total of €136m.

Add the €70m transfer fee that Barca expect to play for the midfielder and the commission his agent will demand, and the cost of this deal for the club easily exceeds €200m.

A big investment, but the risk is limited

Barcelona’s spending in recent seasons has been severely curtailed due to Spain’s strict Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, so an investment of this size in a player over the age of 30 appears to be a risky one.

However, it’s the type of deal they struck for Robert Lewandowski when he arrived from Bayern Munich, and that proved a gamble that they were richly rewarded for.

With Rodri, there is arguably less of a chance taken given the forecast is for Barca’s spending power to increase over the duration of his contract due to the completion of the renovation of Camp Nou, which should unlock fresh spending power for the Blaugrana.

So while the €200m fee is big, Barcelona are snapping up a Ballon d’Or winner in a role that Hansi Flick’s side need. For a player of such a profile, it’s a risk worth taking.