While almost everyone was convinced that Rodri would join Real Madrid this summer, the Manchester City midfielder has reportedly turned down Los Blancos. The Spanish international is now expected to move to FC Barcelona, Real Madrid’s biggest rival.
It could become one of the biggest twists of the 2026 summer transfer window. Rodri, regarded as one of the standout players of the latest World Cup, had appeared destined for Real Madrid. Reports from both Spain and England suggested there was very little doubt about his future, with several outlets claiming that a complete agreement had already been reached between the player and the Spanish giants.
At that stage, the only remaining obstacle seemed to be an agreement between Real Madrid and Manchester City. Even that was not expected to become an insurmountable problem.
However, the situation has dramatically changed in recent hours, and everything now points towards Rodri joining… FC Barcelona.
According to reports in the Catalan press, Barça launched an aggressive late push to convince the midfielder to change his plans. And it was not only the club’s directors who became involved.
Sport reports that Barcelona manager Hansi Flick personally contacted Rodri to explain his sporting project and convince him that Camp Nou would be the ideal destination for the next stage of his career.
Even more importantly, several Barcelona players who know Rodri from the Spanish national team reportedly played a major role in the operation.
Lamine Yamal, in particular, is said to have been heavily involved in trying to persuade his international teammate to choose Barcelona instead of Real Madrid. Other Barça players are also believed to have spoken positively about the club’s sporting project, the atmosphere inside the dressing room and the team’s style of football.
Rodri reportedly prefers Barcelona’s midfield
According to OkDiario, Rodri is also more attracted to the idea of playing in Barcelona’s midfield than joining Real Madrid.
The midfielder already knows several potential Barça teammates extremely well through the Spanish national team and has developed strong relationships with them both on and off the pitch. Rodri reportedly believes this familiarity would make his adaptation in Catalonia much easier.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, were also facing squad-management problems. The club reportedly needed to free up places in José Mourinho’s squad before completing additional signings during the summer transfer window.
There was another important factor: not everyone inside Real Madrid was completely convinced that signing Rodri was the right move.
Florentino Pérez, in particular, had reportedly expressed reservations about bringing the former Atlético Madrid midfielder to the Santiago Bernabéu even before negotiations accelerated.
Some members of Real Madrid’s hierarchy questioned whether Rodri’s profile was perfectly suited to the more direct football Mourinho wants his team to play.
Reports in Spain even suggested that Madrid’s decision to pursue Rodri was partly influenced by pressure from supporters and sections of the local media, who wanted the squad to feature more Spanish players.
🚨🔵🔴 BREAKING: Rodri’s agent confirms he’s picked Barcelona over Real Madrid.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 7, 2026
“Out of respect for Madrid, as they have been class, Rodri informed them that his decision is to join Barça”, quotes from his agent Barquero reported by @ellarguero.
Personal terms, 100% agreed. 🫱🏻🫲🏼 pic.twitter.com/JIwONCN8lC
And few candidates were more attractive than one of Spain’s most influential players over the country’s last major international tournaments.
Nevertheless, what once looked like a major Real Madrid signing could now become a spectacular Barcelona coup.
If the deal is completed, Barça supporters will be the ones enjoying the talents of Rodrigo Hernández Cascante next season — while Real Madrid will be left wondering how one of their most anticipated transfers slipped away at the final moment.
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