Barcelona sporting director Deco has revealed the behind-the-scenes details of the club’s move to sign Rodri from Manchester City during the summer.
The Catalan giants beat Real Madrid in the race for the 30-year-old midfielder, who cost around €75 million including bonuses.
But how the transfer to Camp Nou came about has only now been revealed by Barcelona sporting director Deco.
“A few months ago, we were not considering a transfer because we thought he would not leave City,” Deco initially said.
“He still had one year left on his contract. We thought they would renew it, but when we heard that Rodri could leave City, I spoke with Hugo Viana and called him to find out whether it was true.”
“He told me that he had an offer to renew his contract, but if another offer came in, they would not be able to keep him.”
“We told the manager about this opportunity and he said yes. Then, we spoke with his agent. Real Madrid? We would have to speak to him about that,” Barcelona’s sporting director concluded.
