The Spain international, who helped his country win the World Cup this summer, had been strongly expected to join Real Madrid before Barcelona entered the race for his signature earlier this week.
According to AS, the 30-year-old contacted Real Madrid officials on Thursday to inform them that he would not be joining the club and explained the reasons behind his decision.
Real Madrid are reportedly “not angry” with Rodri’s choice and understand why the midfielder decided against moving to the Bernabeu.
Barcelona have now become the clear favourites to bring the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner back to Spain. However, they still need to reach an agreement with Manchester City before the transfer can be completed.
The two clubs have already started negotiations. According to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona have made it clear that they are ready to pay “slightly over €45 million” for Rodri.
Manchester City reportedly asked Real Madrid for at least €75 million during earlier talks and still want more money than Barcelona are currently prepared to offer.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, were reportedly unwilling to offer more than €50 million for the midfielder.
Despite the difference between Manchester City’s asking price and Barcelona’s offer, there is growing confidence that Rodri will complete the move at some point this summer.
His agent, Pablo Barquero, told Spanish radio station Cadena SER on Thursday night that Rodri has chosen to join Barcelona. The midfielder has entered the final 12 months of his Manchester City contract, and there currently appears to be very little chance of him signing a new deal.
Reports in Spain also claim Barcelona are prepared to offer Rodri a contract worth around €30 million gross per year. That would equal about €576,000, or £493,000, per week.
Man City have already identified Rodri replacement
According to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, new Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has already chosen his “dream” replacement for Rodri, with Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez at the top of his list.
The 25-year-old, who received a red card for Argentina in the World Cup final, has also been linked with Real Madrid in recent months.
Football.london reported that Fernandez told Chelsea officials in May that he wanted to leave Stamford Bridge. The London club responded by setting an asking price of around £120 million.
So far, no club has agreed to pay that amount, while Real Madrid are currently believed to have no plans to sign the Argentine midfielder. Fernandez signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract when he joined Chelsea, meaning he still has another five years remaining on his deal.
However, Fernandez has a close relationship with Maresca after working with him at Chelsea. When the Italian manager unexpectedly left the club in January, Fernandez admitted that “his departure hurt us a lot”.
Manchester City have also been linked with Lille’s highly-rated 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup.
However, Lille do not want to sell Bouaddi at this stage. The French club have reportedly placed an asking price of around £85 million on the young midfielder.
