A Plan Hatched in Croatia: Barcelona Secretly Snatched Rodri from Real Madrid
Sporting director Deco swung into action right after his Adriatic holiday, culminating in a secret meeting and a dramatic turn in negotiations.
Sporting director Deco swung into action right after his Adriatic holiday, culminating in a secret meeting and a dramatic turn in negotiations.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri was on the verge of signing for Real Madrid, but Barcelona executed a meticulously orchestrated operation that completely turned the tables. Key details of this football drama reveal how sporting director Deco's return from a holiday in Croatia marked the start of a covert plan that steered the Spanish international toward Camp Nou.
According to information from Spanish outlet Sport, the whole story begins on July 30, 2026. Deco had just wrapped up a few days of vacation in Croatia. Although it was expected that he would head straight to Birmingham to join the team for preseason, he made a different decision. He returned to Barcelona and stayed there for just over a day. Coach Hansi Flick and the players were already en route to England, and Deco's lingering in Catalonia had a very specific purpose.
Behind the scenes, the sporting director had already been in phone contact with Rodri's inner circle on several occasions. After financial terms were sounded out, the club decided to take the next step and arrange a direct meeting with the player. A clear directive came from the sporting department: everything had to be conducted in utmost secrecy. While Barcelona sent restrained signals publicly, a completely different story was unfolding behind the scenes.
At the end of July, Rodri was in Catalonia for a wedding on the Costa Brava, and the person who stood at the altar at that time proved to be a key link in the entire process. The Spanish midfielder seized the opportunity and agreed to hear Deco's vision for Barcelona's sporting project. The two met in a private lounge of a luxury five-star hotel, and the conversation stretched to roughly two and a half hours.
Deco personally presented his vision: what role Rodri would play in the team and how much importance Flick places on him in his tactical setup. That meeting fundamentally changed the player's perspective. Real Madrid had been the furthest along in contacts, and Rodri had listened to their offer but never gave a final word. After the talk with Deco, the mood suddenly shifted in Barcelona's favor.
From that moment, quieter, behind-the-scenes work began. Flick personally spoke with Rodri on several occasions to explain in detail what was expected of him and what kind of place he could anticipate in the dressing room. Such direct communication between a coach and a player is not common, but Barcelona judged that the time had come to go "all in," especially since their city rivals were closely monitoring developments.
In the whole story, the contribution of Dani Codina, the player liaison officer, went unnoticed. Codina came to Barcelona from Manchester City, where he had worked closely with Rodri for years and earned his trust. According to Sport's findings, it was he who helped organize the hotel meeting and assisted in several key moments. At his wedding, held a few days before the meeting, some guests even jokingly urged Rodri to move to Barcelona. Goal.com records a slightly different spelling of the name, Dani Cudina, but it's the same person.
Last Tuesday, Deco traveled to Madrid to handle market tasks but also to apply additional pressure. He wanted to convey face-to-face to Rodri's representatives just how convinced Barcelona was that this transfer had to happen. The message left no room for doubt: the club was ready to do everything to make him the centerpiece of their midfield.
Deco's arrival in the Spanish capital drew massive media attention, so from that moment on, only one command was in effect: "Utmost secrecy". Negotiations continued without any noise, and on Thursday, around three in the afternoon, the player's camp received a call. The plan outlined by Deco and Flick had completely won over Rodri, and the deal made a decisive leap forward.
The transfer is not yet fully formalized, and Goal.com reports that Manchester City is already actively searching for a replacement. Only the final details and the signing of the contract remain, after which Rodri will officially become a new Barcelona player.
