Rodri has taken a significant step towards joining Barcelona, with a deal for the Spain superstar now closer than ever, reports Mundo Deportivo.

As first reported by Jijantes and now corroborated by MD, the Manchester City midfielder has informed the Catalan club that he is convinced by Hansi Flick’s sporting project.

Moreover, he has given Barcelona permission to open negotiations with City in an attempt to complete his signing.

While there is still no full agreement with either the player or the Cityzens, the Blaugrana believe the biggest obstacle has now been removed.

Rodri Changes His Stance

Until only a few days ago, Barcelona’s understanding was that Rodri would prioritise a move to Real Madrid if he returned to Spain.

Coming to Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

That situation has now changed completely. The Spain international has opted for Barça, allowing the club to activate an operation that sporting director Deco has been working on quietly behind the scenes.

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Although the Catalans’ primary objective in this transfer window remains signing a new striker, the opportunity to bring in one of the world’s best defensive midfielders is viewed as too good to ignore.

Rodri’s quality, experience and leadership are all seen as a perfect fit for Flick’s project.

Manchester City Remain the Next Hurdle

Barcelona must now convince Manchester City to sanction Rodri’s departure. The Premier League club continues to regard him as one of the most important players in their squad.

The benchmark figure previously discussed during Real Madrid’s interest was around €60-70 million, a significant outlay given Barcelona’s financial situation.

Talks with Man City underway. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

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However, with Rodri now giving his approval to the move, the Catalan club believes they can begin exploring different formulas to make the transfer financially viable.

Race Against Time

According to the report, Rodri would like his future to be resolved before returning to Manchester City’s pre-season on August 13.

Barcelona and the recently crowned world champion have already begun working towards that objective in the hope that an agreement can be reached before then.

Rodri is fully convinced by Barcelona’s sporting project and has authorised the club to sit down with Man City and negotiate a transfer that, only a few days ago, appeared far more distant.