Barcelona and Manchester City continue to be in negotiations over the transfer of Rodri, and the saga appears to be drawing to a close.
The Catalans have already had two offers rejected by the Blues who are trying to recoup as much of a financial gain as possible. The fact that he has just one year left on his contract does not appear to play any part in the negotiations.
Manchester City are currently holding out for a deal worth €80 million for the midfielder, and Barcelona are not too far off. A deal may well be closed in the coming days with a third bid set to arrive later today.
A €210 million operation
While Rodri’s transfer fee will only be around the €75 million mark, the operation as a whole will be an expensive affair for Barcelona. As reported by Diario AS, it could touch a total of €210 million.
An expensive signing for Barcelona. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Barcelona are offering the World Cup Golden Ball winner a net salary of €15 million per season over the four years he will sign for.
Given the taxation rate in Catalonia, that represents a gross total of €34 million per season, amounting to €136 million in just wages.
Adding the player’s transfer fee and commissions to that, the number is expected to touch €210 million or go even higher.
Drawing to a close
Having ended his vacation after the World Cup, Rodri was recently seen boarding a flight back to England as the transfer has not yet been closed. The initial plan, after all, was for him to directly arrive in Barcelona.
Rodri shares a special bond with Barcelona players. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The player has, however, requested to skip training as the two parties near an agreement, and it remains to be seen if the player reports back to pre-season in England or not.
Manchester City are strongly pursuing Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and have a deadline of under 24 hours to close the signing. That pressure, needless to say, could play a part in Rodri’s deal being finalised.
After all, there is not much separating the two parties and a third bid is already being prepared.