Rodri has long been promised to Real Madrid. But despite the agreement announced between the Spanish midfielder and the Madrid club, the 30-year-old surprised everyone and finally opted for FC Barcelona. “ FC Barcelona recruits Rodri. The Blaugrana Club reaches an agreement with Manchester City for the transfer of Rodri, whose contract will run until June 30, 2030 », announced the reigning Spanish champions this Tuesday, who paid 60 million euros, along with several bonuses estimated at 16.5 million euros, to buy out his last year of contract at Manchester City.
A major reinforcement for the double Spanish champions, who recorded the arrival of the best player of the 2026 World Cup. A key player in Spain’s second coronation in the history of the competition, Rodri was the metronome of Luis de la Fuente’s selection, dictating the tempo of the Spanish game and impressing with his regularity and his intelligence of play.
Barça ahead of Real for Rodri
Eager to return to the country after seven years spent at Manchester City, the player trained at Villarreal was quickly made a priority track for Real Madrid, who were keen to strengthen their midfield with the arrival of the France Football 2024 Ballon d’Or. If other clubs such as PSG or Bayern Munich also approached the player’s clan, the latter made it clear, initially, that he wanted to join Casa Blanca.
If Real Madrid quickly found common ground with the player and seemed close to reaching an agreement with Manchester City, the reality was quite different. Behind the scenes, FC Barcelona exerted enormous pressure on the former Atlético de Madrid player to lure him away from the Spanish capital. From Hansi Flick’s phone call to the lobbying of the Blaugranas present in the Spanish selection, Barça did everything to ensure that Rodri finally chose Catalonia. After 298 matches played at City for a total of 14 trophies won, including 4 Premier Leagues (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024) and a Champions League (2023), Rodri is making his comeback in Spain… at FC Barcelona.
