Last week's meeting came with everyone already aware of Barcelona's interest in Rodri and the near-certainty that the deal would eventually be completed, as it now has been. The Manchester City captain plays in the same position as Bernal, and it is clear the 18-year-old will feature less than expected once the World Cup winner arrives at Camp Nou.
With that in mind, the club moved swiftly. At the meeting, sporting director Deco expressed total confidence in Bernal despite the Rodri signing, and backed those words with a concrete offer: a contract extension covering two further seasons. Bernal currently has a deal running to 2029, carrying a €500 million release clause, after signing his last renewal a year ago.
The extension also carries an improvement in salary, addressing terms that had become outdated following the strong form Bernal showed once he began playing regularly from January onwards. His performances were rated highly enough that the club had already made clear internally that his contract needed to be revised, as previously reported by Marca.
The two sides are now negotiating the renewal in earnest. Bernal himself is clear that he wants to succeed at Barcelona, which is why he has given his approval to the extension talks, even though there has been no shortage of offers from elsewhere.
Several leading clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, have made contact over the midfielder, but he has consistently put Barcelona first, meaning his renewal is expected to be completed with a high degree of certainty.
Bernal's rise has been built around overcoming a serious knee injury that kept him out for much of the 2024-25 season, before he returned to become one of head coach Hansi Flick's trusted options in the pivot role last season, making 33 appearances and scoring five goals.
Flick has made clear he sees Bernal and Rodri as compatible pieces rather than direct rivals, with the German boss valuing the Spaniard's versatility across both the holding midfield and interior roles as a way of maintaining depth through a long and demanding campaign.