According to information from the Spanish newspaper Sport, Frenkie de Jong may have to rethink his future in a Barca shirt if the newly crowned world champion signs.
The paper claims de Jong could lose his leading role in the Catalans' central midfield to Rodri if Barcelona manage to buy the 30-year-old out of his still-running contract at Manchester City.
In the most extreme case, there may be no place at all for the Dutchman in coach Hansi Flick's team. In that scenario, de Jong could also leave the club, it is said.
De Jong, 29, only extended his contract with the Blaugrana until the end of June 2029 last October. Tough negotiations had preceded that, and at times a departure had not seemed unlikely. Nevertheless, both parties found common ground in the end.
Getty ImagesFrenkie de Jong was a regular for Barcelona last season
Last season, de Jong ended up as an important part of Barca's midfield. Across all competitions, Flick used him 38 times, with the player scoring one goal and providing eight assists. He then featured for the Netherlands at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, starting all four matches before Oranje were knocked out by Morocco in the round of 32.
Since then, de Jong has been struggling with knee problems. That has limited him in pre-season training, and Barca are now even said to be pushing for the player to undergo an operation because conservative treatment has shown little progress. The Dutchman will miss the start of the season in any case.
Rodri's transfer to Barcelona is not yet a done deal, however. The Spaniard has allegedly already given the Catalans his word, shutting the door on a move to Real Madrid, but negotiations with Man City are still outstanding.
He remains under contract there until summer 2027, and according to media reports the Premier League club are demanding a transfer fee of between €50m and €60m. That would not necessarily be easy for cash-strapped Barca to finance without problems.