Barcelona ‘Agree’ Rodri Deal—Here’s Why It Might Not Be the Best Decision

Barcelona sealed the deal for World Cup hero Rodri on Sunday evening, reported to have finalized an agreement in principle with Manchester City worth up to €76.5million ($87.8 million). The Premier League side is expected to receive €60million ($68.8 million) of that guaranteed.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner saw his stock rise back up this summer after he led Spain to 2026 FIFA World Cup victory and walked away with the Golden Ball too. Barcelona, desperate to get a deal over the line, had made two previous bids to City this summer reportedly worth $52 million (£38.5 million) and $69.3 million (£51.3 million). Both were rejected.

The Catalans will feel grateful that they successfully captured Rodri from City, and ahead of hungry rivals Real Madrid, but at what (exorbitant) cost? The 30-year-old is currently sidelined at least through the end of August following recent surgery, but also had less than 12 months left on his City contract that would have made him a free agent next summer.

Was signing Rodri at great expense, at this time, really the best decision?

Injury After Injury for Rodri

rodri lying on the pitch — Rodri was in pain for much of the World Cup. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Rodri’s physical reliability has been a giant question-mark. He suffered a devastating knee injury in September 2024, which resulted in him missing 51 games, not returning to the pitch until late April 2025. He has not been consistently available ever since, his career interspersed with other muscular issues in his hamstring and groin, limiting him to appearances in spurts. The World Cup, played over just five weeks, may have been a mirage, compared to the rigors of a nine-month club season.

His latest setback came this summer in the form of a back injury, something that required him to go under the knife once the tournament ended. It remains unconfirmed when Rodri will return.

Barcelona Do Not Have a Striker

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has a bigger priority than his club dropping bags of cash for Rodri.

Even without Frenkie de Jong, the Blaugrana could get by in midfield, thanks to Pedri, Gavi and Marc Bernal. Eric García can play there, while Xavi Espart had a strong preseason with the first team. Marc Casadó is expected to leave with Rodri coming in, but there is no concrete destination.

What Barcelona don’t have is a striker. There is no clear answer to filling the Robert Lewandowski-sized hole, and Ferran Torres has just hopped over to Paris Saint-Germain. Atlético Madrid’s Julián Alvarez seems destined to stay in the nation’s capital, not for a lack of trying on his part to get out.

No striker means potentially playing wingers Anthony Gordon or Karim Adeyemi in a false nine role. Lamine Yamal is an option but Flick said the “focus” remains on having the teenager stay on the right wing. They are now scrambling for an alternative in the final weeks of the transfer window, a mission that became a whole lot more challenging now that they have a lot less cash to play with.

Barcelona Still Wrestling Financial Limitations

Barcelona have had to manage finances very carefully in recent years. The club has returned to 1:1 spending under La Liga’s financial regulations, in theory allowing every euro that is earned to be spent, compared to the severe previous 1:4 restrictions.

Even so, the struggle to register new signings has remained. Last year Marcus Rashford and Joan García were not registered to play in La Liga until the day of the opening match. The summer of 2022 was dominated by talks of financial ‘levers’ that involved effectively mortgaging the future to cover the cost of short-term gain. Then, there was the Dani Olmo debacle that saw his registration temporarily revoked by La Liga midway through 2024–25.

Reports in recent days suggest that Barcelona still haven’t managed to register Gordon and Adeyemi. The squad is being registered in stages, with precedence given to existing players who are staying. Ronald Araújo needs deregistering after joining Liverpool, with the potential to also deregister Roony Bardghji because of long-term injury. Torres’s move to France will also help create budget space.

But it feels like plenty of risks and assumptions—such as Casadó being moved on when nothing so far has materialized—are at play to make this a dangerous game in more ways than one.

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