Barcelona Targets Rodri to Hijack Real Madrid's Pursuit

Barcelona have stepped directly into Real Madrid’s path and gone after the same prize: Rodri.

According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins, the Catalan club have launched a bold move to hijack Madrid’s pursuit of the Manchester City midfielder, despite the 30-year-old already reaching a full personal agreement with Los Blancos.

This is not a routine enquiry. It is a late, high-stakes intervention.

A rare opening in the market

From Barcelona’s side, the timing is everything. Rodri is in the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium, a situation that instantly turns an almost unattainable player into a market opportunity.

On top of that, the recent serious injury to Frenkie de Jong, which could keep the Dutchman out for the rest of 2026 and has cast doubt over his long-term future at the club, has sharpened the urgency. The midfield plan that looked stable a few months ago suddenly needs a new pillar.

And there is hardly a more complete one on the planet.

Rodri left the FIFA World Cup with the Golden Ball in his hands and the game at his feet. His performances there merely confirmed what club coaches already knew: he is the ideal technical anchor. Tactically flawless, physically imposing, almost impossible to dispossess. He dictates tempo, kills counter-attacks, and never seems rushed.

For Hansi Flick, trying to build a side capable of finally reclaiming the UEFA Champions League, that profile is priceless.

Barcelona also know they never truly replaced Sergio Busquets. They patched, they improvised, but the heir never came. In Rodri, they see the closest thing to a natural successor to the former Spain great, a player who could restore that sense of control at the base of midfield.

Madrid in front, but the race is alive

Real Madrid still sit in pole position. Their prior agreement on personal terms with Rodri gives them a clear advantage and, on paper, the most straightforward route to a deal.

Yet Barcelona are convinced this is not over.

Manchester City’s situation offers a sliver of hope. With Rodri now officially into the last 12 months of his contract, the Premier League champions face a hard choice: sell this summer or risk losing one of their most important players for nothing next year.

That pressure is exactly what Barcelona are trying to exploit. If City accept that a sale is inevitable, the door opens to negotiation, and the club that presents the most convincing project — not just the highest wage — can still influence the outcome.

They are not alone in sensing weakness. PSG have already made enquiries with City, adding another heavyweight to a transfer battle that now stretches across three of Europe’s giants.

Barcelona’s pitch: a team to lead, not just join

Real Madrid can offer Rodri a straightforward emotional pull: a return to his birth city and a starring role in a squad built to dominate La Liga and Europe.

Barcelona, led by sporting director Deco, are preparing a different kind of argument.

Their message is simple: come here and the midfield is yours.

Flick’s project would hand Rodri undisputed leadership at the heart of the team, with Pedri alongside him and a structure built to maximise his influence. The promise is not just to join a winning machine, but to be the central reference point of a side still being shaped.

Barcelona can also point to the recent success of their rebuild, the trophies and the emergence of a new core, as a counter to Madrid’s appeal. The idea is to present Catalonia not as a consolation prize, but as the place where he can define an era.

Rodri has already spoken in the past of his desire to return to La Liga before his career is over. The question now is not whether he comes back to Spain, but who convinces him that their shirt, their badge, is the one to wear when he does.

Real Madrid have the agreement. Barcelona see the opportunity. Manchester City hold the contract.

Somewhere in the middle of that triangle, one of the most significant midfield transfers of this era is about to be decided.