Developments of the deal
In more than 1 month, information about Real Madrid wanting to recruit Rodri has appeared everywhere. The transfer price to pull the Spanish midfielder out of the Etihad stadium is not a problem for Los Blancos, but this deal cannot make further progress.
Realizing that the arch-rival could not launch a decisive move in this deal, Barcelona jumped in with the intention of snatching it. Barca has sent people to talk directly with Rodri's representative about the prospect of the reigning World Cup champion arriving at Camp Nou from next season. If this becomes true, the 30-year-old midfielder will play alongside 8 teammates who just won the championship with him in the US last month, including: Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal.
The reason Barcelona is determined to recruit Rodri is because Frenkie de Jong will be out for a long time due to an MCL injury (internal ligament rupture) in the right knee. Besides, if they are really determined in the Rodri deal, Blaugrana will have to sell some players in the first team to restructure the personnel.
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona believe Rodri will leave Man City. The reason is that during the national team gathering in April, this midfielder shared his desire to return home to play at some point. 4 months ago, Rodri mentioned Real Madrid, so Los Blancos have been considered to monopolize this deal since then.
With Barcelona, in parallel with wanting to recruit Rodri, they are also determined to bring to Camp Nou Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez. This project shows that Barca does not want to stop after last season monopolizing domestic titles. It could also be a catalyst to persuade Rodri to come to Catalunya instead of Madrid.
What position will Rodri be suitable for if he joins Barcelona?
Right in the pre-season period, Barca received bad news when De Jong suffered an MCL injury and was predicted to be out for about 4 months. If during treatment, the Dutch star does not show progress, he will have to undergo re-surgery and the recovery process will count down from the beginning.
Therefore, Barca is lacking a deep midfielder position right in front of the defense. Currently, in Barca's first team, there is still young talent Marc Bernal (19 years old) of La Masia suitable for that role. However, last season Bernal struggled to regain his form after a serious knee injury suffered at the beginning of 2024. In addition, to compete for major titles such as La Liga or Champions League, Bernal cannot be the choice Hansi Flick assigned all the responsibility.
Rodri's appearance will help Barca be more secure in this position. Not only that, when Rodri appears, Bernal can also be arranged to play higher. This is also what Flick wants to fully develop the potential of this young star.
Where does Barcelona get funding to recruit Rodri?
Money is always a burning issue for Barcelona every transfer season. There have been many contracts that have been finalized, but the team has not been able to register players because they have not planned their finances. Barca is still not a team that is too abundant, so if they want to buy a expensive contract, they need to calculate very carefully.
Barca's salary fund is expected to be calculated according to a new ceiling after ticket sales revenue increases again, the reason is that the team has returned to Camp Nou after several seasons playing at Lluis Companys. Not only that, the team is proceeding to cut salary funds by sending away or parting ways with many players, especially striker Robert Lewandowski. There are no specific figures on Barcelona's budget at this time, but the situation is more optimistic than in the previous 2-3 transfer seasons.
President Joan Laporta also shared that the club is in the process of completing capital accumulation through investment loans. If this happens quickly, in the short term Barcelona will not need to worry too much about cash flow.
