Real Madrid's worst nightmare! Rodri transfer snub is a bitter blow for Jose Mourinho & Co. as Barcelona assert their dominance

It is not every day that the opportunity arises to land the best defensive midfielder on the planet and one of your country's finest players, and especially not when the conditions are as favourable as they could be in Rodri's case. That's clearly something the two teams on either side of the Clasico divide were acutely aware of.

While they are still holding onto the slim hope that he will sign a new contract, the latest reports suggest Man City are willing to accept as little as £60 million ($81m) to let the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner leave this summer, hamstrung by the fact that one of their prized assets has already entered the final 12 months of his current deal.

The 30-year-old has openly flirted with a return to Spain in recent months, and you can't really blame him for feeling as though he is running out of reasons to hang around in Manchester. Pep Guardiola's seismic exit has brought an era to an end at the Etihad, and - just as was the case for the likes of John Stones and Bernardo Silva - there is an inescapable sense that this would be the natural time for the Spaniard to depart.

At his age, Rodri will feel he still has two or three years left at the highest level, if he can stay fit and use his infinite game intelligence to remain as influential as possible on the pitch.