Real Madrid were close to signing Rodri but saw the proposed transfer fall through after the club’s leadership tried to reduce the cost of the deal, according to journalist Sergio Valentin.
The Madrid club had reportedly reached an agreement with Rodri and was also nearing an arrangement with Manchester City. However, negotiations were suspended after Real Madrid’s chief scout, Juni Calafat, intervened and president Florentino Perez decided to delay the move in the hope that the English club would lower its financial demands.
Manchester City refused to alter the terms of the proposed transfer, leaving Real Madrid’s pursuit of the Spain midfielder at a standstill.
While Real Madrid postponed the deal, Barcelona entered the race for Rodri. According to the report, Barcelona sporting director Deco, head coach Hansi Flick and several of Rodri’s Spain team-mates held discussions with the player as they attempted to persuade him to move to the Catalan club.
The developments provide new details about why a transfer that appeared to be progressing for Real Madrid ultimately failed to reach completion. The decisive issue, as described by Valentin, was not an inability to agree personal terms with Rodri. Instead, the breakdown came after Real Madrid opted to pause negotiations with Manchester City while seeking a lower fee.
That decision gave Barcelona an opportunity to act. With Real Madrid no longer moving forward immediately, Deco and Flick joined the effort to convince Rodri to choose Barcelona, while the midfielder’s international colleagues also played a role in the discussions.
The report does not state that Manchester City made any change to its position during the talks. On the contrary, the English club is said to have rejected any attempt to revise the financial conditions, meaning Real Madrid’s strategy of waiting for a price reduction did not produce the desired outcome.
Rodri had therefore been at the centre of competing approaches from Real Madrid and Barcelona. Real Madrid had, according to the source, already secured an understanding with the player himself and was close to reaching an agreement with Manchester City before the negotiations were put on hold.
The transfer collapsed after Florentino Perez chose to suspend the process following Calafat’s involvement. Barcelona then moved into the contest and used discussions led by its sporting and coaching staff, together with several of Rodri’s Spain team-mates, to try to turn the situation in its favour.
Valentin’s account presents the failed move as the result of a strategic decision over the transfer fee. Real Madrid were close to completing the signing, but their attempt to reduce the amount payable to Manchester City allowed Barcelona to intervene before the agreement could be finalised.
