When Barcelona, Real Madrid, and PSG
all come calling, you know you are a singular talent.Fresh off a World Cup championship, Rodri is the hottest commodity of the summer. With just one year left on his Manchester City contract, the sharks are swarming and ready to make a move to bring in a player who is widely regarded as the best midfielder in the world.
Real Madrid are desperate for a midfielder of his quality. Many have argued that the reason for their decline the past few seasons is because they
have failed to find replacements for Toni Kroos and Luca Modrić. Truthfully, from a defensive midfield point of view, Los Blancos haven’t been the same since the departure of Casemiro.
For Barcelona, in spite of the success under Hansi Flick, the Blaugrana have not found a replacement for Sergio Busquets. Rather, they turned to the double pivot, and made a significant change in tactics to address the hole he left behind.
All the attention this summer for Barcelona has been on targeting new forwards. The expectation is that eventually they will find a defender or two to strengthen the backline as well.
It’s been accepted that the midfield is the area where they are set. But is that a risky assumption to make?
With the long-term injury to Frenkie de Jong, the calculus has changed. Pedri is a given, but it’s not clear at all who his partner in crime will be.
Marc Bernal is promising but still only 18 and unproven at the very highest level. Gavi would be the great hope, but given his injury record, it makes sense to have doubts. Marc Casado looks to be heading out the door.
That leaves makeshift options like Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen , or Dani Olmo. All three in theory would be capable, at least in the short term, but an ambitious club like Barcelona needs to have a permanent solution in mind.
That’s where Rodri comes into play. He won the Ballon d’Or in 2024, and he just won back to back Euro and World Cup titles with a Spain team whose Barcelona influence can’t be denied.
On paper, it looks to be the perfect fit for both player and club.
The added bonus is that you deny Real Madrid a player whose addition would instantly make them, in my opinion, favorites to win La Liga.
Even if Barcelona fail to bring in Rodri, they still must ask themself if they are comfortable with what they have in terms of midfield options.
If Hansi Flick is trying to block an academy player like Brian Fariñas from leaving this season, it sounds like he is trying to communicate to Deco that what he has at the moment isn’t adequate.
Rodri would be the dream. In this case, Barcelona should aim high. To repeat as champions, staying in place isn’t an option.
The best midfielder in the world should be at Barcelona where he can reach his full potential. That means winning trophies while playing the beautiful football he is accustomed to.
