As we say, Rodri to Barcelona is the deal of the summer. Indeed, it can be regarded as the greatest transfer coup of recent years. A Ballon d'Or. A World Cup winner... a World Cup winner who was named Player of the Tournament. And one whom Barca have nicked away from their eternal rivals. No matter how you slice it, landing Rodri is an incredible piece of business from Joan Laporta and Deco.
Before last week's intervention, it was all but confirmed that Rodri would be joining Real Madrid. Weeks of negotiations had been held. A call had been received from Real's new coach Jose Mourinho. The feedback was encouraging... positive. Personal terms hadn't been struck, but knowing Rodri had informed Pablo Barquero, his agent, not to bring any type of offer from PSG to his front door gave Real all the confidence they needed to pursue a deal. Rodri, with Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva's departure from Manchester City confirmed, was seeking a fresh start, himself, and a return home to Spain was the priority.
Real knew this. Indeed, they were made aware before the end of the season. But their first offer tabled to City didn't eventuate until last week. And it was that dithering which opened the door for Barca to step through.
While City rejected that opening offer, Real had been speaking with Rodri for some months. Everything appeared on track. But then some concerns over a long-standing back injury emerged. The need for a clean-up operation was confirmed. And Real, convinced they were Rodri's one, lone serious option, decided to pull back and wait until after the World Cup to be sure the complaint was as minor as Rodri's camp had insisted.
That doubt and loss of trust irked Rodri. He was ready to sign with Real. Just as his City teammate, Bernardo, had made public his commitment before the World Cup, Rodri was willing to do the same. PSG, the Saudis... he wasn't interested. Rodri wanted a return home and was keen to commit to Real. That they chose to hesitate as Rodri inspired Spain to their triumph in the US is on them. A deal was their to be done. As Florentino Perez, the Real president, told confidants as Rodri's availability became apparent last season, "A Spanish Ballon d'Or must always play for Real Madrid". But that doubt. That slight. It gave Barca all the room they needed to pull off this transfer coup.
Anton Meana, of Cadena SER, relayed a conversation he had with Barquero just hours before the Barca news broke. Real's offer had been made. Several of Real's powerbrokers, including Florentino, had been in touch. But while Barquero was diplomatic, something in Rodri's thinking had changed.
"The offer was really good, both the agent and Rodri value education, integrity, respect and the way in which Madrid has handled the negotiation," recounted Meana. "Madrid has gone seriously for Rodri and put everything on the table for Rodri to play for Madrid. From its president to the general director, everyone has worked so that Rodri could play for Real Madrid.
"The conversations were positive and they were negotiating these last two weeks, but Rodri has made a decision to select another offer."
Football Presse has been told that this decision wasn't about money. Indeed, Real's contract offer is the superior of the two. Instead, it was that dithering during the World Cup and the advice of certain mentors - including his former City manager - which helped persuade Rodri to choose the Blaugrana over the Merengues. The style of play. The cycle of Barca's maturing team. They were all factors - as was knowing that he'd be entering a dressing room with no less than eight of his world champion teammates. That guarantee of immediately bedding into Hansi Flick's system weighed heavily in Rodri's thinking.
But Pep was also an influence. It's not broke yet, however you can expect news of the Catalan's impact to emerge in the coming days. Rodri was told he'd enjoy his football more with Barca. His game would suit not only Flick, but also be embraced by the Camp Nou crowd. It would be City in another shirt. And further, any sort of repercussions from his old Atletico Madrid fans - similar to the experiences of Thibaut Courtois - would be avoided. For the football, the family and the career, Rodri was told that Barca was his best choice.
At City, we understand there is some bitterness. The midfielder leaves with the club's best wishes. But some of higher ups were expecting better, particularly after the support they showed Rodri during his ACL recovery. Management never sought to replace him. The incentive was always there that a place was waiting for Rodri once he completed his recovery. Contract talks had been attempted since before Christmas. But after Pep's announcement, Rodri couldn't be convinced.
So Barca will get their man. Negotiations, at the time of writing, are continuing between the two clubs. Barca's opening offer has been rejected, but the good money is on the Catalans landing Rodri for less than 50m quid. And even at 30, for the player he is and the status he boasts, Barca are getting themselves a bargain.
It's a coup. The best player at the World Cup. The winning captain. A Ballon d'Or winner. And he's Spanish. All for less than 50m quid. Oh, and they've left their greatest rivals eating dust. Rodri to Barcelona really is one of the great transfer coups of the 2020s.