The figures in which Rodri's signing for Barça moved

BarcelonaEveryone thought that Julián Álvarez was the main reason for the trip to Madrid of Barça's sporting director, Anderson Luis de Souza, Deco. The Argentine forward has been the clear objective of the Barcelona club for months to strengthen the attack and fill the gap left by Robert Lewandowski. Despite Atlético de Madrid's tough reluctance to sell him, it made sense to stage on the ground that the interest remains alive. But Deco's trip to the Spanish capital hid another surprising and decisive move: to fish Rodrigo Hernández, Rodri.Rodri.

The move is surprising because all the official Barcelona spokespeople had insisted — both publicly and privately — that neither he nor any other midfielder was of interest as a hypothetical signing. And at the same time it is decisive because it represents a genuine market blow and a missile to the sporting planning of Real Madrid, which until a few hours ago was leading the race to acquire the starting pivot for Manchester City and the world champion Spanish national team.

Florentino Pérez tried to counter the news about the sorpasso in Rodri's future decision. While Barcelona celebrated the slap in the face they received after Deco's intervention to thwart their number one objective to strengthen the first team's midfield, the white president accelerated the announcement of Vinícius Júnior's renewal until 2032, which was posted on the club's official channels just hours after the signing of the young Yan Diomande for more than 125 million euros. Neither of the two announcements eclipsed Barcelona's disappointment with Rodri, who was mobilized by the affinity he has with the eight Barça players who, like him, have just won a World Cup, and also by a key call from Hansi Flick, according to the newspaper Sport.

But professional football doesn't just live on common ground and affection. The green light from the Madrid midfielder also comes thanks to a salary that promises to place him among the two best in the entire culé squad. Only Lamine Yamal's, the team's absolute star, can compete with what Rodri is asking for to swap Manchester for Barcelona. Sources close to the negotiation assure ARA that the footballer wanted 20 million euros net to continue at the Etihad Stadium beyond June 2027 and will not settle for less than 15 to make the leap to Camp Nou. The gross figure, therefore, would have peaks of 30 million annually over three or four seasons. These are amounts that resemble those released by Lewandowski with his departure and fit the price of a footballer who was a Ballon d'Or winner in 2024 and who has just been awarded as the best in the World Cup.

These strong arguments empower Rodri when asking for a star's salary, but they also lead Manchester City to be tough when negotiating a transfer. The citizens have already rejected a first offer of 45 million fixed and 5 variable to let their starting midfielder go and place their demands between 70 and 80 million. Barça has room to negotiate after the bond issuance that was closed a few days ago for 105 million, but would not want to go much beyond 60 million fixed. Be that as it may, the operation now enters the classic tug-of-war of any summer market. Communication between the clubs is fluid and Rodri's patience has been renewed after weeks in which he has verified that Madrid, deep down, did not want him with such urgency.