Revealed: The mistakes Real Madrid made to cause Rodri to snub his ‘dream’ move to their ‘ticking time bomb’ and join Barcelona for £64.5m instead
Real Madrid’s lack of commitment and concerns over the harmony in their squad were reportedly among factors that convinced Rodri to snub his ‘dream move’ to join rivals Barcelona.
Barcelona are close to finalising a £64.5million move for Rodri after striking an agreement with Man City, with the LaLiga champions hopeful the midfielder could be unveiled at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Daily Mail Sport reported that Rodri is expected to sign a four-year contract.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Rodri – who was crowned as the World Cup’s best player – had made the decision to pursue a move to Barcelona over Real Madrid.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Rodri had long viewed Real Madrid as his dream move and had initially wanted to join them from city rivals Atletico in 2019 before joining Man City after realising an offer was not realistic.
The report stated while Real Madrid fans had been vocal in their desire to sign Rodri this summer, the enthusiasm was not shared within the club.
Rodri is set to join Barcelona from Manchester City after snubbing a move to Real Madrid
A report has claimed a lack of enthusiasm from Real Madrid and concerns their sporting project is a ‘ticking time bomb’ contributed to Rodri’s final decision
Back-to-back LaLiga winners Barcelona hope to seal a move for Rodri this week
Real Madrid were reported to have begun their pursuit of Rodri after the World Cup, but only president Florentino Perez and chief executive Jose Angel Sánchez called him.
Manager Jose Mourinho, by contrast, had reportedly repeatedly called Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella earlier in the summer while pursuing the pair.
The report claimed Real Madrid also had doubts internally over signing Rodri, with claims the midfielder ‘lingers on the ball too long’ and that the club are instead looking for a ‘more dynamic player’.
Rodri was said to have sensed Real Madrid’s lack of enthusiasm, while Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, president Joan Laporta, sporting director Deco and members of the squad had called him in a bid to convince him to move to the Nou Camp.
The report added that while both Barcelona and Real Madrid had made the same financial offer to Rodri, the former Ballon d’Or winner had preferred the stability and playing style of the former when making his decision.
While Barcelona have secured back-to-back LaLiga titles, Real Madrid endured a nightmare end to last season amid much publicised in-fighting within the camp.
Rodri is set to leave Man City following a trophy-laden spell, which has included winning four Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League.
The Spanish star has also won two FA Cups, three Carabao Cups and helped Man City win the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
