From a near-free deal to 210 million euros: Rodri turns into a financial nightmare at Barcelona
Barcelona face a huge financial test if they want to complete the signing of Spain's Rodri, the Manchester City midfielder. What was once viewed as a low-cost opportunity has turned into a deal whose total value could exceed 210 million euros between the transfer fee, commissions and the player's wages.
Rodri's contract with Manchester City may be nearing its end, but the English club does not appear ready to let the midfielder go easily. City have set their financial demands at 80 million euros to agree to his departure, according to Spanish and English media.
Barcelona tried twice, and City refuse
The prevailing belief was that Rodri approaching the end of his contract would make his return to the Spanish league an almost free operation. City's stance dispelled that idea entirely.
Manchester City rejected two offers from Barcelona, according to reports, while the Catalan club offered Rodri a four-year contract worth 15 million euros net per season.
Factor in the taxes imposed in Catalonia and the player's total salary would reach around 34 million euros annually, roughly 136 million euros over the four years, before adding the commissions and the transfer value.
All of it accounted for, the cost of the deal could break the 210 million euro barrier, according to the Spanish newspaper "AS."
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The World Cup raised Rodri's value
Rodri's future became a constant topic before the World Cup, during the tournament and after it. His brilliance at the World Cup pushed his value even higher, despite the player entering the final period of his contract with Manchester City.
No longer does the principle of "the final year of the contract" necessarily mean a player can be acquired for a modest sum. Clubs have become more insistent on the value of their stars even as their deals wind down.
Toni Kroos's transfer to Real Madrid stands as one of the most prominent previous examples of a big player leaving in the final year of his contract for a limited sum, the deal closed for around 20 million euros.
Rodri's situation appears entirely different. His technical and marketing value has risen significantly.
Real Madrid were present, but Rodri chose Barcelona
Barcelona were not the only Spanish club chasing Rodri. Real Madrid also entered the picture and conveyed an offer to the player, but Rodri chose the one presented by Barcelona.
This comes amid increasing competition between the two clubs over a number of names during the current summer transfer window, despite the rupture that governs relations between the two institutions.
The matter did not stop at Rodri. Both clubs' interest also converged on the Argentine striker Julian Alvarez, after Real Madrid submitted a 150 million euro offer to Atletico Madrid to acquire his services, a player Barcelona also placed among their targets.
Julian Alvarez opens another chapter in the conflict
Atletico Madrid rejected Real Madrid's offer, but the Madrid move pushed the player's value up on the market, making his departure from the club more complicated than before.
Barcelona's interest in Rodri on one hand and the Julian Alvarez file on the other leave the Catalan club facing two huge operations that together could require around 500 million euros to complete, according to the report's estimates.
Rodri's arrival at Real Madrid enjoyed clear approval from the Royal club's fans, but the player's decision to side with Barcelona's project ended that possibility. The Julian file looks different: Real Madrid already moved and found a decisive response from Atletico Madrid's management.
