The transfer deal for Spanish national team star Rodri Hernandez from Manchester City to Barcelona is approaching its final stages, after the two parties reached a near-final agreement that includes a fixed amount in addition to variable clauses, in a deal expected to be officially announced in the coming days after resolving some outstanding details that still hinder the official announcement.
Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" said that the Catalan club managed to narrow the large gap that existed between City's financial demands and Barcelona's initial offer, while a final agreement was reached with the 30-year-old player a few days ago, who has only one year left on his contract with the English club.
It explained that the two parties are now just steps away from exchanging the necessary documents to complete the signing process, pending final approval on some technical details related to the structure of the financial deal, which opens the door for the Spanish midfielder to join the Blaugrana ranks early this week.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick is keen to finalize the deal as quickly as possible, despite Manchester City coach Enzo Maresca's statements indicating that Rodri is expected to join the English team next Friday to begin preparations for the new season, but recent developments suggest that the player's destination has become decided toward Catalonia.
The German coach seeks to prepare early for the Spanish league opener scheduled in two weeks, and wants to know the squad available to him throughout the season before the start of official competitions, especially with the transfer window continuing until August 31, making the swift completion of deals a top priority for the technical staff.
The deal witnessed a dramatic shift in the player's stance, as Barcelona was not his first choice at the beginning of the transfer window or even after the end of the World Cup, where his doubts about Real Madrid, and the fact that a near-final agreement with the Royal Club was not officially activated, were decisive factors in changing his destination.
Flick hopes to be able to rely on Rodri at roughly the same time as the rest of the world champions from the team's ranks, who are scheduled to begin training next Wednesday after receiving their exceptional vacations following their participation in the World Cup, giving the German coach a better opportunity to build his starting lineup before the start of the new season.
