Barcelona plan to avoid Man City payment uncovered as clubs enter blockbuster Rodri deal talks

Barcelona and Man City have entered official talks over the stunning signing of Spain captain Rodri despite a previous deal still potentially requiring payment.

Rodri, who has a year remaining on his contract, had been heavily courted by Real Madrid and it looked a blockbuster transfer was on the cards for the Spain captain.

However, in a surprise twist, reports claimed that Rodri told Los Blancos he did not wish to join them and instead preferred a move to Barcelona.

The La Liga champions have been long-time admirers of the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner and on Thursday night, Rodri's agent Pablo Barquero, told El Larguero that "his decision is to join Barca".

Fabrizio Romano reported that there is a complete agreement on personal terms and in a second update, said that club-to-club talks had been initiated as the two parties discuss the fee for what would be one of the biggest transfers of the summer.

READ MORE: Barcelona 'make final decision' over Rodri transfer during Man City talks as agent speaks out

According to AS, Rodri is expected to sign a four-year contract which would see him earn €30 million per year as one of the Blaugrana's highest-paid players.

Man City could be owed money from Barcelona over separate deal

City and Barcelona have done plenty of business over the years, with transfers involving Yaya Toure and Eric Garcia.

The most recent transfer between the two clubs was in January 2022 when Ferran Torres returned to La Liga for an initial £47.6 million as well as £8.4 million in add-ons - £5.9 million of which are said to be effectively guaranteed.

City made a significant profit on Torres, who had only been with the club for one-and-a-half seasons after joining for around £20 million from Valencia.

At Barca, Spain's World Cup hero has gone on to score 65 goals in 207 appearances.

But in October, it was reported by Stefan Borson that cash-strapped owed City £11 million in the financial year - as part of a document that showed the figures they owed to a plethora of clubs in relation to transfers.

Borson told Football Insider that City sold the debt owed by Barcelona to a bank in order to ensure they received the sum before the end of 2025.

However, that may not be the end of the saga. Last month, Pol Ballus of The Athletic reported that Barcelona are looking to sell Torres this summer as a way of avoiding paying City more money.

Torres' deal expires in 2027 and there has been no movement regarding an extension - even with his World Cup-winning heroics in New Jersey.

If Barca do extend the 26-year-old's contract, they must pay City around £6.8 million because of a clause inserted in the deal.

The total cost of the deal would therefore increase to around £62 million.

Torres, who has been on a press tour with a host of major outlets in the United States, reportedly has interest from European champions Paris Saint-Germain.