Barcelona’s hopes of signing Manchester City midfielder Rodri could depend on how much they receive for Ferran Torres, with Paris Saint-Germain preparing a second bid for the winger.
According to Cadena SER, Barcelona’s current transfer business is linked by negotiations involving three clubs. Torres and Rodri have both agreed personal terms with their respective clubs, but Barcelona, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain must still settle the final transfer fees before either deal can be completed.
The immediate priority for Barcelona is Torres’ departure. His move to Paris Saint-Germain is expected to be concluded before the club makes significant further progress in its attempts to sign Rodri from Manchester City.
Barcelona value Torres at between 50m and 55m euros and have already rejected an opening offer of 40m euros from Paris Saint-Germain. The French club, however, remain interested in completing the deal and are expected to table an improved proposal in the coming hours.
That second bid is understood to be likely to move closer to Barcelona’s valuation of the Spain international. For now, the two clubs remain in discussions over the fee, with no agreement reached.
Barcelona have also begun negotiations with Manchester City for Rodri. The Catalan club made its first offer last weekend, proposing a package worth 50m euros, made up of a fixed fee and additional add-ons.
Manchester City consider there to be a substantial difference between Barcelona’s proposal and their own valuation of Rodri. The Premier League club are understood to be seeking about 60m euros for the Spanish midfielder.
The expected proceeds from the Torres transfer could therefore influence Barcelona’s ability to complete the deal for Rodri. Barcelona hope that selling Torres will generate enough funds to create room for the midfielder’s arrival.
At present, though, Rodri’s move has not reached its final stages. Barcelona’s main focus is on completing Torres’ transfer to Paris Saint-Germain before stepping up negotiations with Manchester City over the midfielder’s fee.
The club’s transfer strategy means the outcome of the Torres talks may determine how aggressively it can pursue Rodri. If Paris Saint-Germain increase their offer towards Barcelona’s asking price, the additional income would give the Catalan side greater scope to bridge the gap with Manchester City.
Both transfers have therefore advanced beyond the stage of purely discussing personal terms, but neither has yet been finalised. Barcelona must first resolve the fee for Torres before it can establish whether its proposal for Rodri is sufficient to secure an agreement with Manchester City.
