FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is the reason behind Rodri’s change of heart and why the Catalan club is said to be edging closer to hijacking the signing from Real Madrid, according to the latest transfer buzz.
The German coach picked up the phone to personally explain how his tactical plan will feature the World Cup winner, right as there was a “cooling off” period between Rodri and Real.
Nothing has been decided yet as a transfer fee has not been agreed between Manchester City and Barça. But recent reports say Rodri’s signing has gone from a remote possibility to a real one, at the same time as Madrid’s grasp on the player is slipping.
Barcelona were already keen on signing a midfielder even before Frenkie de Jong’s injury. Now, they see the Ballon d’Or winner as the perfect heir to Sergio Busquets and Pep Guardiola in the middle of the park.
There were previous reports that Florentino Pérez wasn’t always a fan of signing Rodri, especially because that was the plan presented by a rival candidate for the Real Madrid presidency.
But after Spain won the World Cup, Madrid fans went all out demanding his signing. It supposedly made too much sense to bring the Madrid-born midfielder back to Spain’s capital.
It remains to be seen if Madrid fully pull out of the deal now that Rodri has apparently had a change of heart, from considering Real his most likely destination, to saying “yes” to the Camp Nou. The other open question is whether Barcelona will be able to cobble enough money together to pull off the signing.
