Agreement in principle for Rodri Hernández. Barcelona and Manchester City reached an understanding this Sunday for the player’s arrival in Barcelona. According to La Vanguardia, the latest offer presented does not exceed 70 million euros, with a maximum of 60 million fixed and the rest conditional on variables. Rodri will sign with Barcelona for the next 4 seasons.
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The blaugrana club started formal talks with Manchester City a week ago with an offer of 45 million euros plus another 10 in variables and later presented a second proposal of 60 million, which was also rejected. But the player already had an agreement with Barcelona and in one year he would be free to leave for free.
Rodri signs for 4 seasons and the operation will not exceed 60 million fixed
The player was in Manchester, where he traveled Thursday night on a regular flight to join training. This Sunday in the Community Shield match (English Super Cup) that City lost 0-3 against Arsenal, Rodri was neither on the list nor seen in the stands. Before the match, Enzo Maresca had already left the door open for his departure: “We can sell players and buy players, anything can happen. I just saw Rodri, I gave him a hug, he looks good, we will see what happens,” he said.
The departure of Ferran Torres to PSG for almost 50 million -48.8- generates 20 million in salary space and has helped close the deal that began to take shape ten days ago, with Rodri’s agent calling Deco to probe the matter.
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Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, has always declared himself an admirer of Rodri’s football, whom he even compared to Sergio Busquets. Frenkie de Jong’s injury, if it ends up being long-term, is also a card considered to register him and one of the reasons why the signing was pushed forward. However, Deco was also aware of Real Madrid’s interest in the player. Therefore, when the agents called him, Deco pointed out that he was not going to enter a bidding war with the white club and that if Rodri preferred Barcelona, he had to make it clear.
Hence the player’s call to Real Madrid’s sports leadership to thank them for the interest and the offer, but making his priorities clear: to wear the shirt of a club whose football style is more recognizable to him, being similar to Manchester City’s, and to be part of a squad that includes, besides him, seven world champions and Fermín López, absent from the World Cup due to injury, whom he knows as well as the playing style. His arrival is a statement. The midfielder, world champion with the Spanish national team and best player of the World Cup, is eagerly awaited in Barcelona next week. Perhaps for the Gamper on Wednesday.
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