Rodri to Barcelona: "Real Madrid have had their mind elsewhere" - and it has cost them

As Barcelona take the lead in the race to sign Manchester City's Rodri, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses a potential move to Camp Nou.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "Real Madrid have been informed of the decision"

The turn of events is almost like Real Madrid have had their mind elsewhere. 

On the Vini Junior contract and the Diomande deal, they felt they were in a really strong position to complete a deal. But they've taken their eye off the ball, and Barcelona, as their fans will be absolutely delighted, have stolen in. 

Rodri's agent, Pablo Barquero, has confirmed that his client is heading to Barcelona. Real Madrid have been informed of the decision. 

Not official at this stage when we're recording, but very much expect that to be the case very soon. 

There were suggestions that Rodri had given preference to Real Madrid and was very keen, but it's now coming to light that he decided sooner he would rather head to Barcelona than any other club this summer. 

It makes sense considering his connections with Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Gavi, Yamal, Pedri, and Ferran Torres. 

Yamal, part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup, has good relationships with players in the Barcelona dressing room, so it's an easy transition. 

It's a country he's from and a league he's played in. Barcelona just feels like a less volatile place at the moment than Real Madrid. 

We know about the off-field stuff and it's difficult to call it stable at times, but it feels less volatile than Real Madrid right now. You could see Rodri going to Real Madrid and something kicking off. 

We saw last season players fighting in the dressing room, and he feels like this is a better fit for him and his playing style. Two iconic clubs in Spain and you can't go wrong. 

If Barcelona and Real Madrid both want you, you're probably doing something right. It's a really nice choice to have. 

The latest developments are that he is almost certainly heading to Barcelona, bar a really surprising turn of events. 

On the fee, Barcelona were around the 45 million euro mark. Man City want to push that up, with no real suggestions at this stage of where they'll meet. 

Man City are not going to get what they want. There were suggestions they were looking at around 80m euros for Rodri, but with him out of contract next summer, it places them in a difficult position. 

They will not want to lose him on a free transfer. If they can get a decent sum for him, it is a big blow, but considering his age and contract situation, they cannot afford to hang on, especially if he is a player so keen to leave. 

It's an interesting situation with why Barcelona are doing it this summer. They headed back to the new Camp Nou stadium, but will be moving away again for more redevelopment works next summer. 

There are suggestions that their salary limit will be heavily restricted next summer, so they're keen to get a lot of business done this summer. 

They signed Gordon and Adeyemi, which is really good business. The return to Camp Nou, plus Lewandowski's wages coming off the books and the extra revenue from the stadium, has made their finances a lot stronger. 

That may not be the case next summer when they have to leave Camp Nou, lose the revenue, and pay rent elsewhere. So next summer looks like it will be a very quiet one for Barcelona. 

That's why they're so keen to sign Alvarez as well. It's going to be an exciting summer for Barcelona fans, and that's why they're keen to get a lot of business done now rather than later. Rodri looks very much like he's heading to Barcelona.