Barcelona eye ambitious swoop for Manchester City man and more transfer rumours

Barcelona are considering a move for Manchester City midfielder Rodri during this summer’s transfer window, according to reports.

The Catalan giants could lose Sergio Busquets on a free transfer this summer, with the former Spain captain’s contract at Camp Nou due to expire at the end of June.

Busquets is yet to make a final decision on his future, but the experienced midfielder is believed to have a number of offers from teams in the MLS and Saudi Arabia.

Barcelona are well-stocked in central midfield with Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Pablo Torre, Gavi and Franck Kessie all options, but they do not have a natural replacement for Busquets.

According to Football Insider, the Catalan outfit are keen on Rodri and would be prepared to pay £80m to land the 26-year-old during the upcoming transfer window.

The report claims that the midfielder would be open to discussing a switch to Camp Nou despite being happy with his current situation at the Etihad Stadium.

Rodri spent time with Atletico Madrid during his youth career before arriving at Villarreal in 2013, progressing through the age groups before debuting for the first team in 2015.

The midfielder went on to make 84 appearances for Villarreal before joining Atletico, starring for the club during the 2018-19 campaign, making 47 appearances in all competitions.

Rodri is currently in his fourth campaign at Man City, and he has been a vital player for the Citizens since his arrival, making 185 appearances, scoring 15 goals and contributing 14 assists.

Elsewhere, Manchester City have reportedly renewed their interest in signing West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.

Rice’s current contract is set to expire at the end of next season, meaning West Ham could look to cash in at the end of this campaign, although a deal will be very expensive, with David Moyes previously saying £100m would be cheap.

Man City have been linked with the midfielder in the past, however there has been more recent talk about him signing for Chelsea, who are said to be speaking about a deal, while Liverpool are also ‘really interested’.

According to a report from 90min, the Sky Blues have renewed their interest in the Englishman, who is expected to move on at the end of the campaign, in order to fulfil his ambition of winning trophies.

It is stated that City could look to sign the 24-year-old as a potential replacement for Ilkay Gundogan, whose future at the club is not guaranteed, while there are also doubts about Kalvin Phillips.