European giant aiming to hijack Rodri's transfer to Real Madrid

Real Madrid appear confident they will land Rodri this summer, with it believed that the Spain captain is set to return to the city of his birth.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has one year left on his deal with Manchester City, which has led to much interest from around Europe this summer, with PSG, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid all linked to the midfielder.

It should be no surprise that Rodri has many clubs interested in him after his fine performances at the 2026 World Cup in North America, where he lifted the trophy as Spain won the competition for the second time in their history.

As the summer wears on, it appears that the 30-year-old only has his heart set on a return to La Liga to wear the famous white jersey of Real Madrid; however, as the deal edges ever closer, it appears another candidate has entered the race.

According to reports from AS Diario, Madrid’s El Clasico rivals have entered the race to try and convince the four-time Premier League winner to make the move to Barcelona.

Rodri continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid. Image credit: Getty

The Catalan side need midfield reinforcements after the long-term injury to Frenkie de Jong, leading them to enquire about the possibility of agreeing a deal with Man City.

While Barcelona are the current La Liga champions and would offer an exciting challenge to the Spain captain, it is believed that he has his heart set on only one destination, the Bernabeu.

The report states that while the Catalan club inquired about the potential of signing Rodri, they were already aware of the player's priority.

Despite this being a position that Barcelona feel they need to fill due to the injury to De Jong, the club has several options in midfield that have graduated from the academy that would slot in expertly for the Dutch international, including Marc Bernal and Marc Casado.

Meanwhile, it has been suggested that they are prioritising the signing of Joao Cancelo and bringing in a striker to replace Robert Lewandowski, who departed the club this summer and is now playing for MLS side Chicago Fire.