Manchester City have rejected an opening offer of £38.5m from Barcelona for midfielder Rodri.
City are open to selling the Spaniard, but would demand more than £60m.
The 30-year-old enters the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and is yet to sign a new deal, with speculation rife about his future this summer.
It looked like Real Madrid would be his next destination but La Liga rivals Barcelona are now leading the race after sources told BBC Sport on Thursday that the club had the player’s approval to open negotiations with City. The offer was made on Friday.
Barca sources had initially told BBC Sport there were no guarantees any deal would be made but the situation now looks to be developing.
The club said on Friday they are in ongoing conversations with the player’s representatives and later made their opening offer.
BBC sources say talks with Real have now ended.
Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were disrupted by a hamstring issue.
However, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was back to his best at the World Cup in the summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.
He is currently out of action after undergoing back surgery last month and is scheduled to link back up with his City team-mates in Manchester early next week.
Approaching the second week of August in the transfer window, City will be aiming to resolve Rodri’s future swiftly in order to sign a replacement.
Talks are ongoing to sign 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, but the French club’s £86m asking price appears to be a sticking point.