Speaking after Manchester City's 3-1 pre-season win over Atletico Madrid in South Korea on Sunday, Maresca was asked directly about Rodri's situation and gave little away.
"For the moment, we expect him in Manchester on Friday. Well, I don't know if it's Friday. On August 14, he's back," he said.
City came from behind to beat Diego Simeone's side, with two goals from Omar Marmoush in the space of two minutes turning around a match Atletico had led through a Jorge Dominguez opener. But the more pressing storyline surrounding the match was Rodri's future, with the World Cup winner increasingly expected to leave City this summer after having a move to Real Madrid all but agreed before performing a U-turn in favour of Barcelona.
Barcelona and Rodri are understood to have reached a personal agreement, with the midfielder currently on holiday after winning the World Cup with Spain and due to report back to City on August 14 - two days later than Maresca had initially suggested.
Negotiations between the two clubs, however, remain some distance apart. Barcelona's opening offer of €45m was described as derisory by City, who are believed to be holding out for a fee closer to €65m-€70m. Further progress is expected in the coming days, with Barcelona hopeful of concluding a deal next week.
Rodri had made his desire to leave City clear without saying so directly, having initially been Real Madrid's priority target following an outstanding World Cup campaign in which he won the Golden Ball. Real's move appeared close to completion before talks broke down, opening the door for Barcelona to step in, with the Madrid-born midfielder ultimately opting for the Catalan club instead.
There is understood to be full agreement between player and club over personal terms, leaving only the transfer fee to be resolved between Barcelona and City - two clubs whose historically close relationship has cooled in recent years, not least given how low Barcelona's opening offer was judged to be in Manchester.