Maresca says 'anything can happen' amid talk of Rodri move to Barcelona

Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d'Or in 2024 (Paul ELLIS) Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said "anything can happen" amid reports La Liga champions Barcelona have bid to sign World Cup winner Rodri. City are understood to have rejected an opening bid of £38.5 million ($52 million) from Barcelona for the midfielder. The 30-year-old has just one season remaining on his deal at the Etihad and has been strongly linked with a return to his native Spain. City are reported to want about £68 million for Rodri, who was named player of the tournament at the recent World Cup in North America. "First of all, we already said the transfer window is open, we can buy and sell players, anything can happen," Maresca told a press conference on Friday ahead of this weekend's Community Shield clash against Arsenal.  "I've just seen Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug, he looks good, so we'll see what happens." Rodri joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2019 and won multiple Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League under former boss Pep Guardiola. He won Euro 2024 and that year's Ballon d'Or before a serious knee injury ruled him out of much of the 2024/25 campaign. The Community Shield pits the winners of last season's Premier League, Arsenal, against FA Cup holders City. Arsenal finished seven points ahead of second-placed City as they ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title last term and Maresca vowed his men would do all they could to close the gap to Mikel Arteta's men this season. "Arsenal have shown in the last two or three or four, five years, that they are always there," said Maresca. "It is a fantastic team from Mikel.  "They won the Premier League, they showed how good they are in this moment. But at the same time, we are City and we're going to try to close the gap and compete." jdg/nf