Barcelona yet to meet Rodri valuation as Man City left baffled by approach

Barcelona are set to make a third bid of around £60m for Rodri but are still set to fall £10m short of Manchester City’s valuation of the Ballon d’Or winner.

The deal could also influence the speed of any move for Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, with Enzo Maresca pushing for the midfielder's signature.

City are willing to allow a long-serving club legend like Rodri to fulfil a personal aspiration of playing in Spain again after this summer’s World Cup win.

Rodri with the golden ball award at the World Cup(PA Wire)

But City, who plan to reshape their midfield, have so far been left both baffled and frustrated in negotiations with both Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Neither have come anywhere close to the £70m valuation, with Real Madrid's reticence ultimately seeing Rodri opt for Camp Nou over the Bernabeu.

That move has nevertheless seen many of the same issues, as Barcelona have made two offers well below what City want, one of them considered "derisory".

Those negotiations are running parallel to talks on Fernandez, where Chelsea themselves are insisting on £120m.

While the club had set a 5pm deadline on Friday for interest in the midfielder or they would keep him, the sense is currently that sufficient progress has been made in talks.

There is also an awareness that City won't fully proceed until Rodri's future is certain, which is likely to extend beyond Chelsea’s deadline.

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