Barcelona face fresh problem as transfer agreement 'expires'

Tom Weber

Updated: 1 Jun 2024 14:03 BST
3 min read

Barcelona's transfer agreement with Guido Rodriguez has 'expired,' according to Spanish media.

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The Real Betis star is out of contract this summer and looked to be on the verge of completing a long-anticipated free transfer switch with Barcelona. The World Cup winner, a defensive midfielder, was meant to fill the hole left by Sergio Busquets' departure last summer.

Former Barcelona coach Xavi had been pushing to seal the deal, which was viewed as sensible due to the finances involved. The Catalans are once again forced to go bargain hunting due to their severe economic problems.

Xavi, however, has now been sacked and this left Rodriguez in an awkward position. It had been reported that all the details were essentially agreed on with Xavi and that only the final greenlight was still required for the deal to become official.

Since the coach's sacking, Rodriguez has been in limbo over his future and now, it is claimed, that the agreement he had with the club has expired.

Barcelona to negotiate anew

At least that is according to Mundo Deportivo, which reports that the accord between the two parties had to be made official by May 31. As this didn't materialise, the deal has now 'expired,' the Spanish outlet asserts.

Hansi Flick has been appointed as Xavi's successor and it is as yet unclear whether the German wants Rodriguez, with the former Bayern coach having his own list of potential targets.

Either way, if Barcelona still want to sign the Argentine, they will have to return to the negotiating table and thrash out a new deal for Rodriguez. Barcelona have also looked at Joshua Kimmich as a target, but the player has been deemed 'problematic' internally, while Sky Germany reports that there is not much to the club's alleged interest.