Barcelona rule out move for 30-year-old pivot despite having verbal agreement

For a few weeks now, it was believed that Guido Rodriguez would be the first summer arrival at FC Barcelona.

The Blaugrana had a verbal agreement with the midfielder, who will be a free agent this summer, with a contract for two years with an additional twelve months being agreed upon.

However, the agreement expired on May 31 and since then Barcelona have not made any moves as they await clarity on the Financial Fair Play situation.

Guido Rodriguez ruled out

Now, though, SPORT reports that Barcelona have decided to rule out a move for Guido Rodriguez and instead focus on other options to reinforce the midfield.

Barça’s sporting department, together with new manager Hansi Flick, no longer considers the 30-year-old as a priority and there are other candidates ahead to reinforce the pivot position.

One of them happens to be Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino, who creates total consensus at the club.

No longer a top target for Barcelona. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Rodriguez was a player who fitted Xavi’s plans. The former coach already asked for him in the January market as a market opportunity but Barça did not want to pay any compensation for the six months left on his contract and the operation was not formalised.

The contacts continued with his entourage and Deco advanced his contract as a free player with Xavi’s approval, although there has been an unexpected twist in the script after the arrival of Flick.

Barcelona saw the Argentine as an interesting option financially and with experience in La Liga, but Flick believes another type of pivot should be signed, although it remains to be seen if there is enough money to go around.

As for Guido, the midfielder had always prioritised Barcelona over other clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, but now that the Blaugrana have cooled their interest, his agent is exploring other options.