Manchester City will not be held to ransom over midfield transfer target Rodri, Sky Sports News understands.
City's director of football Txiki Begiristain has recommended the Atletico Madrid midfielder as the No 1 replacement for Fernandinho, who has continued to excel this season but will turn 34 in May.
However, competition is expected to be fierce for Rodri, who only joined Atletico from Villarreal for £21.5m last summer.
A number of top clubs across Europe are keeping tabs on the 22-year-old who won his first senior Spain cap in March 2018 and has already gone on to play five internationals.
Sky Sports News understands City are not interested in getting involved in any bidding wars for the player, who has a release clause of £60.6m in his Atletico contract.
Should City have to pay that figure for Rodri, it would just surpass the club record £60m the club paid Leicester City for winger Riyad Mahrez last summer.
Rodri has been a regular in Atletico's team this season, making 29 appearances in La Liga and scoring twice.