Manchester City faced an uphill battle when it came to their chances of retaining Rodri this summer, according to manager Enzo Maresca.
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After a relatively drawn-out saga over the summer weeks and months, Rodri finally brought an end to his seven-year stay at the Etihad Stadium by linking up with a number of his Spain international teammates at FC Barcelona.
Whilst the expectation was for Real Madrid to push ahead with their long-standing admiration for the player, it quickly became apparent in recent weeks that the 30-year-old Ballon d'Or winner had identified the Catalan giants as his preferred direction.
With a contract renewal at Manchester City never really entertained by the FIFA World Cup-winning captain, club officials had no other option but to try and secure the best-possible deal for one of their greatest-ever servants.
And following the conclusion of talks and Rodri signing a four-year contract, the belief is that those within Manchester City are satisfied with the agreement given the circumstances: a €60 million up-front transfer fee with more than €11 million of add-ons viewed as 'achievable', as such expecting to achieve at least €71.5 million in total.
Maresca reveals City's true chances of keeping Rodri
Now, speaking to the media ahead of Manchester City's Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon, manager Enzo Maresca has been quizzed on whether the club had any true chance of persuading Rodri to stay at the Etihad Stadium.
The 30-year-old defensive midfielder completed his City exit earlier this week, making a permanent switch to FC Barcelona in a deal worth in the region of £65 million, with just one year remaining on his contract with the Premier League giants.
"It's quite clear when a player wants to leave, and then it's difficult. For any reason that they want to leave, it's complicated to convince them to stay or change their stance," Maresca admitted.
"It happened with Rodri, the same is happening with Savinho - since day one, he has been asking me he wants to leave. So now we are waiting," he continued.
"But it's complicated when a player is thinking they need a new challenge or want to change because they want probably to go back to Spain or play more minutes. Different reasons, and then it becomes complicated to convince them to stay."
How will Man City cope without Rodri?
Manchester City will be desperate to complete a number of signings before the conclusion of the ongoing summer transfer window, and likely in various positions throughout Enzo Maresca's first-team squad.
However, given the exits of Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid, Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah, and Rodri to Barcelona, as well as ongoing doubts over Nico Gonzalez's future amid interest from Newcastle, midfield roles are quite evidently the priority.
The current belief is that Lille and Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi will be the first name to come through the doors in the final two weeks of the transfer window, whilst interest is maintained in Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez and AS Roma's Manu Kone.
City are also believed to have made enquiries about Crystal Palace and England international Adam Wharton, although the South London club have been clear in their stance of not wanting to sell the Blackburn Rovers academy graduate.
Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton has attracted interest from the Etihad Stadium in the final weeks of the transfer window, as per a new report.cityxtra.co.ukHugo Viana eyeing late Adam Wharton move as Manchester City eye post-Tottenham reinforcements
Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton has attracted interest from the Etihad Stadium in the final weeks of the transfer window, as per a new report.