Is Rodri going to Barcelona? How Man City star's proposed Real Madrid transfer has taken shocking twist

The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona may be fierce on the field, but the battle between the Clasico foes now extends to signing Spain's best midfielder.

Following Rodri's return to global prominence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, leading Spain to victory and winning the Golden Ball on the way, the Manchester City midfielder had placed himself back in the spotlight after an ACL tear had cut down his top-level stardom.

This summer's performances had placed Rodri on the wish list for Real Madrid, who hoped to capitalise on his return to prominence and his reported desire to return to his home country.

Now, there's been a major twist in his transfer saga, with all signs pointing towards a move to the Santiago Bernabeu until their Clasico rivals appeared to swoop in and change the narrative.

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Is Rodri going to Barcelona?

Multiple reports on Thursday, August 6 have indicated that Rodri has made a sensational flip-flop in his summer transfer saga, now leaning towards joining Barcelona instead of Real Madrid.

A report by Pol Ballus and Mario Cortegana of The Athletic has claimed that Barcelona are "exploring a deal" for Rodri and that the player's preference is to join the Catalan club. Sky Sports have followed that as well, saying that Barcelona "are set to approach Man City" to discuss a move for Rodri, and are "hopeful" they can beat Real Madrid to the punch.

Jose Felix Diaz of AS went one step further, claiming that Rodri has "made a definitive decision" to join Barcelona and has informed Real Madrid officials of that fact.

That report was supported also by Gerard Romero of Jijantes FC in Spain, who posted on social media that Rodri had given the go-ahead to a move to Camp Nou.

It certainly now appears that Barcelona are the leaders in the race.

Could Rodri still go to Real Madrid?

It's definitely still possible that Rodri could end up a Real Madrid player at the end of all this.

According to multiple reports over the past few weeks, Rodri had agreed to personal terms with Madrid quite some time ago. However, with club-to-club talks with Manchester City stalling, Los Blancos struggled to get the deal over the line.

Given the vitriolic rivalry between the two clubs, it's hard to imagine Rodri flirting with a move to Barcelona only to flip back to Real Madrid, and the capital club being okay with that taking place. This feels much more like a point of no return for Rodri.

Why would Rodri choose Barcelona over Real Madrid?

The recent success for Barcelona under Hansi Flick has vastly outpaced that of Real Madrid over the last few years and could have convinced Rodri that he is better suited to join a more complete team like Barcelona.

Additionally, Rodri may have decided he fits better in the Barcelona system under Flick than he would under Jose Mourinho's watch at Real Madrid. This was suggested by the Athletic report, which stated he prefers Flick's style of play at Barcelona and also would prefer to join a dressing room full of his Spain national teammates from the World Cup this past summer.

One wrinkle in this saga has been the position of Madrid president Florentino Perez, who, according to multiple reports, has not felt a move for Rodri should be prioritised, despite the interest from fans and other executives at the club. It's possible that Rodri felt he was not coveted by Real Madrid enough to be deterred by new Barcelona interest.

However, often these things are about money. It's entirely possible that Barcelona came in with a better offer than Real Madrid proposed, and thus Rodri made the decision to switch his destination.

How can Barcelona afford Rodri?

The financial constraints at Barcelona over the past decade have been well publicised, and fans are well aware of the club's limited coffers.

However, those burdens have eased considerably over the last few years, as Barcelona slowly climb out of the COVID-induced emergency.

Most importantly, the club have escaped the constraints imposed on them by La Liga based on the 1:1 rule, which basically states that, for every €1 a club in good standing earns or saves, they can spend €1 on player wages and transfers. Essentially, this is a squad cost ratio rule, requiring clubs to spend within their means.

With Robert Lewandowski departing the club and freeing Barcelona of his enormous wages, that has allowed them to spend more this summer. Yet after the arrivals of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, Barca have likely spent what they had available to them. Further sales are likely needed to fund a move for Rodri, and they would also potentially have to give up their aggressive pursuit of Julian Alvarez as well, unless they could guarantee further income through outgoing transfers.