Although reinforcing the midfield was not a part of their plans at the outset of this summer, FC Barcelona look highly likely to make a midfielder their most exciting signing of the transfer window. This midfielder is none other than the Manchester City star Rodri Hernandez, who rejected advances from Real Madrid to sign for the Blaugrana club.
However, the Catalans still have to arrive at an agreement with his club before landing him. Negotiations between the two sides have been going on for the last several days, and Barcelona have already seen their first two offers rejected by the Citizens.
Some reports on this operation suggest that the Premier League side is asking for €80 million for their star player, but the Blaugranes are looking to land him for a reduced price, because the player has only a single year left on his contract, and is keen to return to Spain via Barcelona.
After their first two failed bids, the Catalans are ready to increase their offer. In fact, [Diario AS](https://as.com/futbol/tercera-oferta-por-rodrigo-el-barca-ya-va-por-70-millones-f202608-n/#tooltip1) reports that they have already submitted their third offer for the midfielder, which exceeds the €70 million mark. They see this as their final offer, and believe that it will be enough to convince the City negotiators, Ferran Soriano and Hugo Viana, to agree to a deal.
Barcelona had first put in an offer of €45 million, and after its rejection, they increased their bid significantly to reach the €60 million mark. Now, they have further increased their offer, and the difference between the two clubs is minimal, although it is not yet clear whether all of this €70 million will be paid as fixed fees or some part of it will be in the form of variables.
For now, it remains to be seen how Manchester City will respond to this offer, but [Barcelona will be keen to see this operation conclude as soon as possible](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/barcelona-set-48-hour-time-limit-to-finalise-rodri-signing/) so Hansi Flick can train with Rodri Hernandez with only one week left till the start of the next season.