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Manchester City have moved into uncertain territory in their efforts to replace Rodri.

The Premier League champions still view Chelsea midfielder Enzo as one of the options to fill the gap Rodri is expected to leave, with the Spanish midfielder widely tipped to join Barcelona.

According to Sport, City now face a problem. The framework Chelsea had set out for negotiating Enzo's departure from Stamford Bridge is no longer in place.

Chelsea had fixed a deadline for receiving a £120 million offer. That deadline passed on Friday without Manchester City putting that amount on the table.

From that point, the London club withdrew the terms they had established for the midfielder's exit. Chelsea now expect Enzo to remain at Stamford Bridge for the 2026-2027 season.

The player appeared on Saturday for the first time under Xabi Alonso in the victory over Real Sociedad, after returning from the holiday he was given following the World Cup.

Even so, City have not abandoned the move, according to The Telegraph and transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Enzo transfer story has therefore entered unknown ground. The English club could make another attempt in the coming days, but this time they would need to reopen talks and negotiate entirely new terms for the transfer.

Rodri's situation is closely linked to the matter.

Barcelona's interest in Rodri is well established. The Catalan club have already submitted a third offer to Manchester City for the Spain international after seeing their first two bids turned down.

That latest proposal raises the guaranteed fee to 70 million euros. Barcelona had initially begun discussions at around 45 million euros before increasing the figure to almost 65 million.

Confidence is growing at Camp Nou, where there is a belief that the deal could be completed this weekend. In Manchester too, there is an expectation that the negotiations will end in an agreement.

A sale of Rodri would give Manchester City greater room to manoeuvre under Financial Fair Play regulations and would allow them to bring in his replacement.

As already stated, Enzo remains the leading candidate to fill that vacancy at the Etihad Stadium. The passing of Chelsea's deadline does not mean the story surrounding the midfielder is over.

Manchester City manager Maresca, who previously coached Enzo at Chelsea, made his position clear on Friday: his club will not play along with Chelsea's deadline strategy.

Chelsea want one point to be absolutely clear: they are in complete control of the future of a player who is under contract with the club until 2032.

Manchester City, meanwhile, will wait to discover the final outcome of the Rodri transfer before pushing again for Enzo.

Fabrizio Romano said in his latest transfer update that City's senior figures have remained in constant contact with the player's representatives over the past few days.

So, in essence, the overall picture has not changed. What has changed is the detail. City still want Enzo, but they are no longer dealing with the same Chelsea as on Friday, when the club had left the door open to the player's departure under clearly defined conditions, almost in the manner of a release clause.

City must now decide how much they are prepared to pay to prise open the doors of Stamford Bridge and sign the Argentina international.