Man City: Rodri verdict on joining Barcelona revealed as Romano confirms hijack on Real Madrid
Manchester City star Rodri would reportedly be ‘open’ to joining FC Barcelona over Real Madrid after they stepped up their interest.
Rodri is being heavily linked with an exit from Man City, partly becuase he has entered the final year of his current contract.
The Ballon d’Or winner returned to his best to help Spain win the World Cup, and he is attracting interest from La Liga.
In recent weeks, Rodri has looked increasingly likely to join Real Madrid, who are in the process of a major rebuild following the appointment of Jose Mourinho.
Last month, Fabrizio Romano reported that Rodri’s ‘dream’ is to play for Real Madrid, but they may miss out on the world-class midfielder.
Man City reportedly prefer to keep Rodri, but they are planning for life without him. They have already signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, and they are now trying to sign Lille youngster Ayyoud Bouaddi.
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And Man City now have multiple clubs in the race to sign Rodri, with Romano confirming on Thursday morning that Barcelona are trying to hijack Real Madrid.
Romano said on X: ‘Barcelona have made contact with Rodri’s camp and also with Manchester City about possible move.
‘Real Madrid have been in talks with City for weeks but #MCFC didn’t accept to proceed immediately as felt more clubs were joining the race.
‘Up to the player.’
He added: ‘The decision will be completely up to Rodri, as Real Madrid and Barcelona both ready to pay similar transfer fee to City.
‘Rodri has been in negotiations with Real Madrid for weeks as priority but Barcelona positioned themselves as well while Madrid deal isn’t done yet.’
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Rodri’s stance on joining Barcelona revealed
Our colleagues at TEAMtalk are reporting that Rodri has already ‘agreed’ terms with Real Madrid, but he is ‘open’ to joining Barcelona instead.
The report explains:
‘Sources close to the player have confirmed Rodri would be open to joining Barcelona and believes his style of play would suit Hansi Flick’s system.
‘However, talks with Real Madrid remain ongoing, with Los Blancos continuing to view the Spain international as a cornerstone of Jose Mourinho’s long-term plans should they succeed in reaching an agreement with Manchester City.’
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