Barcelona intensify pursuit of Rodri after Real Madrid talks stall

On Wednesday Barcelona moved to step up efforts to hijack Real Madrid’s bid to sign Rodri from Manchester City after talks between Real and the Spain captain stalled in the transfer market.

Manchester City have entered the final year of Rodri’s contract but remain hopeful he might sign a new deal, while being prepared to let the 30-year-old leave for around £60m; Rodri, who won the Golden Ball for the World Cup’s best player, has also undergone minor back surgery and will miss most of City’s pre-season programme.

Sources say Rodri held talks with Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco on Wednesday and communicated that he is keen to return to Spain, prompting Barca to prepare approaches to Manchester City over the structure of a potential fee.

Real Madrid have held weeks of discussions with Rodri’s representatives without reaching an agreement, and they have committed a club-record £115m fee for RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande while simultaneously negotiating a new contract for Vinícius Júnior amid Arsenal interest.

Real face potential constraints on further signings and may need to move players first; Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga have been mentioned as possible departures, with Manchester United linked to the France midfielders in transfer speculation.

Barcelona’s recruitment urgency has been compounded by Frenkie de Jong’s knee injury, which will sideline the Netherlands midfielder for several months, and by their continued inability to persuade Atlético Madrid to sell Julián Álvarez despite targeting him all summer after Robert Lewandowski’s departure.

Deco travelled to the Spanish capital to meet Álvarez’s representatives on Wednesday, and attention now centres on whether the 26-year-old former City forward will return to pre-season training on Monday or seek to force through a transfer; Arsenal also retain interest in him.

Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final against Argentina, has entered the final year of his Barcelona contract and said he is waiting for the club to open talks over an extension: “All I know is that I have to be in training for Barcelona on 12 August. Let’s see what happens.” Asked what Barcelona needed to do to keep him, he said: “Show me they want me, come to negotiate.”