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Barcelona have been in talks with Manchester City for some time in an effort to strike an agreement for Rodri’s transfer.

It has now been almost a week since the 30-year-old Ballon d’Or winner gave Barcelona the go-ahead and agreed personal terms.

Since then, Rodri has been waiting patiently for the two clubs to settle on a transfer fee, but that breakthrough has still not arrived.

Now, according to SPORT, the 30-year-old midfielder has asked City for special permission to miss training while the two sides try to iron out the remaining differences in his transfer.

Rodri’s holiday officially ended on Thursday, and the midfielder was due to return to Manchester City training on Friday morning, which is why Barcelona may now have to wait until Monday to complete the marquee signing.

He was even seen at Madrid airport boarding a flight back to England, but it appears he is not eager to rejoin training.

The Spain international would rather stay away and protect himself while Barcelona and City work to finalise the agreement.

Rodri is prepared to wait for Barcelona.

However, if Manchester City turn down his request and tell him to report for training, the midfielder will return as planned while negotiations continue in the background.

The report adds that relations between Rodri, City and Barcelona have remained good throughout the process.

There is still no final agreement between the two clubs, but the financial gap that remains is getting smaller and smaller.

Rodri’s stance is also very clear.

He wants to wait for Barcelona and hopes a deal can be reached over the next few days, which would allow him to travel directly to Barcelona and begin working under Hansi Flick.

Barcelona recently went through a similar situation with Ferran Torres, who was given permission to miss his scheduled return while the club wrapped up negotiations over his move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Rodri is hoping Manchester City will handle his case in a similar way.

Barcelona are edging closer to signing Rodri from Manchester City.

Despite asking for permission to miss training, Rodri was seen at Madrid airport on Thursday evening preparing to fly to Liverpool, which is roughly a 45-minute drive from Manchester.

It may be that he is returning to the area to collect his belongings and remain available in case the English club ask him to report back.

Rodri’s arrival is one of the most eagerly awaited transfer developments for Barcelona fans ahead of the new season.

Bringing in a World Cup-winning midfielder for Flick’s side would instantly raise the team’s level by a few notches.

The key thing now is for Deco to continue working behind the scenes to reach an agreement with Manchester City as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, whether the English club call Rodri back for training or allow him to stay away could reveal a lot about how close Barcelona really are to completing the transfer.