On the back of captaining Spain to the 2026 FIFA World Cup title in July, Rodri has opted against signing a contract renewal at the Etihad Stadium, with his current deal now into its final year.
The 30-year-old's stance is clear - he wants to leave the club and join Barca - but there remains several barriers in the way.
City's hierarchy want to avoid a free transfer exit in 2027, but Barcelona have seen two offers rejected already as they fall below City's demands, with the Premier League giants valuing him close to €70M - despite his contract status.
The deal is blocked at this point, despite Barcelona's confidence of landing the former Atletico Madrid playmaker before the end of the month, but he will now rejoin Enzo Maresca's squad on August 14th - as previously confirmed by City's new boss.
Barcelona wanted to wrap up a deal before the potential of Rodri training with City again, but that deadline looks impossible for the Catalan giants.
Rodri will not feature in City's Premier League opener against Bournemouth on August 23rd, after undergoing back surgery, and he won't be fully fit until mid-September for whichever club he is playing at by then.