Amidst Barca's ongoing preseason tour, which will see them facing next against Real Madrid, and the Catalan club's ongoing pursuit to sign Dani Olmo, a recent transfer update has arrived regarding a former Barca transfer prospect. Guido Rodriguez, Xavi's preferred defensive midfielder, has opted to sign with West Ham.
Barca had been targeting the Argentine pivot midfielder for a long time during the later stages of the 2023/24 campaign. Having Gavi unavailable due to ACL and Romeu's mediocrity had incited FC Barcelona to look for the defensive midfielder's profile. Being a low-cost option, along with his availability as a free agent at the end of the season, looked much more promising from Barcelona's point of view.
Even Barcelona had almost reached an agreement with Guido Rodriguez, with his contract almost ready. Not only this, Xavi had told the player that he would be waiting for him at the Catalan club. Being Xavi's favorite prospect to reinforce the Blaugrana midfield, he was set to replace Romeu in the defensive role.
Guido Rodriguez moves to the Premier League on a free transfer
In early May, agreements had reached a point where Guido had signed a pre-contract to join the club in July 2024. However, Xavi's unfortunate sacking played a significant role in Guido Rodriguez's Barca future. Even though Flick counted upon his signing, Barca's fragile financial conditions couldn't sign the pivot midfielder within the pre-contract date.
As a result, his Barcelona move collapsed, as the club wasn't sure whether they would be able to register him for the next season or not. Recently, Fabrizio Romano dropped a major update on the 30-year-old Argentina, mentioning that Guido has agreed terms with West Ham and is ready for the medical.
🚨⚒️ EXCL: West Ham book medical for Guido Rodriguez on Saturday then time to sign the contract!
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 2, 2024
Rodriguez, available as free agent after leaving Betis and Barça verbal agreement collapsed in June.
West Ham agreed on terms today and he’s ready for medical.
Here we go 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/2LacpaOt1n
And thus, Barca's biggest prospect at the time moved away from the Blaugrana camp. However, analyzing from Barcelona's perspective, Guido's move to West Ham hasn't affected Flick's side much, considering they hold the possession of an army of star midfielders, having De Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Gundogan, and Fermin Lopez.
Moreover, as far as the pivotal role is considered, Barca has even options from Christensen, Pedri, Gavi, and De Jong to fill in Flick's double pivot system. Add to the list the sensational young duo of Marc Bernal and Marc Casado, who are expected to start the first La Liga matchday after delivering a masterclass against Man City.
Overall, FC Barcelona, with a plethora of suitable pivot options, wouldn't be affected much by the West Ham move of Guido Rodriguez. The club has brilliant talents like Pedri, Gavi, and Fermin, upon whom Barca would like to base the future of their midfield.