Rodri Approaches Barcelona as Hansi Flick's Project Gains Support

The midfielder who has come to define Manchester City’s modern dominance has moved a step closer to Barcelona. According to reports from Jijantes, backed up by Mundo Deportivo, Rodri has informed the Catalan club that he is convinced by Hansi Flick’s sporting project and is ready for them to push ahead.

Crucially, he has also given Barcelona the green light to open formal talks with City over a transfer. No final agreement exists yet — not with the player, not with the Premier League champions — but at Camp Nou they sense the hardest part is done. The door, once barely ajar, is now open.

From Madrid leaning to Barça committed

Until a few days ago, Barcelona’s internal reading of the situation was bleak. If Rodri ever chose to return to Spain, they believed, Real Madrid would be his first choice and probably his only one.

That script has been torn up.

The Spain international has now opted for Barça, a decision that allows the Catalan club to activate an operation sporting director Deco has been nurturing quietly in the background. While the club’s main target this summer remains a new striker, the chance to sign one of the world’s premier defensive midfielders has been deemed too big, too rare, to let pass.

Rodri’s profile fits Flick’s blueprint almost perfectly: a metronomic passer, elite positional sense, big-game pedigree, and a dressing-room presence that carries weight. In Barcelona’s eyes, he is not just another signing; he is a structural piece.

City stand firm as the next obstacle

Now comes the hardest conversation. Barcelona must persuade Manchester City to part with a player they still view as one of the pillars of Pep Guardiola’s side.

When Real Madrid explored the possibility of signing Rodri previously, figures of around €60–70 million were floated. For City, that number reflected his importance. For Barcelona, it is a heavy figure, given the financial constraints still hanging over the club.

Yet the dynamics have shifted. With Rodri’s approval secured, Barça believe they can at least sit at the table and explore different formulas — structured payments, variables, creative accounting within the rules — to make the deal workable. The operation is complicated, but for the first time it feels alive rather than hypothetical.

A tight deadline

There is, however, a clock ticking. Rodri wants clarity on his future before he reports back for Manchester City’s pre-season on August 13. That self-imposed deadline sharpens the negotiations and leaves little room for drawn-out posturing.

Barcelona and the recently crowned world champion have already started working towards that date, trying to align sporting ambition with financial reality. A few days ago, the prospect of Rodri in a Barça shirt felt remote, almost fanciful.

Now, with the player convinced by Flick’s project and authorising direct talks with City, the question is no longer whether Barcelona dare to try — but whether they can finish a deal that would reshape the heart of their team for years to come.