The figures at 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 reinforce 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 field that the interest remains alive. But Deco's trip to the Spanish capital hid another surprising and forceful move: to fish Rodri Hernández.

The move is surprising because all the official Blaugrana 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 forceful because it represents a full-blown market coup and a missile to Real Madrid's sporting planning, which until a few hours ago led the race to acquire the starting pivot of Manchester City and the Spanish world champion team.

Florentino Pérez tried to counter the news about the "sorpasso" in Rodri's future decision. While the Barcelona fans were celebrating the disappointment they had after Deco's intervention to frustrate their number one objective to reinforce 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 young Yan Diomande for over 125 million euros. Neither of the two announcements overshadowed Rodri's Blaugrana pumpkins, 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 isn't just about common ground and lively banter. 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 Culer squad. Only Lamine Yamal's, the absolute star of the team, can compete with what Rodri is asking to switch from Manchester to 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 will have peaks of 30 million annually over three or four seasons. These are amounts similar to those released by Lewandowski with his departure and which align with the fee of a footballer who was a Ballon d'Or winner in 2024 and who comes from being awarded as the best in the World Cup.

These weighty 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 variables 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 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 seen that Madrid, deep down, did not want him with such urgency.