Barcelona's Tommy Marques Faces Exit Amid Rodri Pursuit

Barcelona’s hunt for Manchester City’s Rodri is starting to reshape more than just their midfield plans. It is also pushing one of La Masia’s brightest young talents, Tommy Marques, towards the exit door – at least for now.

This is not a simple case of a youngster being squeezed out. It is a strategic play, on both sides.

City circle Tommy as Barça open the door

Barcelona have been locked in talks with Manchester City over Rodri, a move designed to give their midfield an immediate injection of top-level quality. While that negotiation rumbles on, City have quietly turned their attention to a Barça midfielder of the future rather than the present.

Tommy Marques, 19, looks increasingly likely to leave before the summer window shuts. Club and player have already discussed a permanent transfer, but with a crucial caveat: a buyback clause that would keep Barcelona’s hand on the lever if his development explodes elsewhere.

Barça know what they have. They just don’t have room for him right now.

City’s Girona plan

City’s interest in Tommy is not a speculative punt. There is a plan attached.

If they complete the deal, the Premier League champions are considering sending the teenager straight to Girona on loan. Regular minutes, a clear role, top-flight football, and all of it inside the City Football Group ecosystem.

It is a well-worn path. City have used the same route for several young players in recent seasons, letting them harden in La Liga before testing whether they can survive the demands of the Etihad. For Tommy, it would mean swapping the Camp Nou dream for a different kind of audition – one that still keeps him on a big stage.

Competition for a La Masia jewel

City, though, are not alone.

Braga are pushing hardest at this stage, with head coach Carlos Vicens a key factor. The Spaniard knows the City academy model from the inside and sees Tommy as an ideal fit for his project in Portugal. For a 19-year-old, the promise of consistent minutes in a competitive league, under a coach who understands his background, carries obvious weight.

Borussia Dortmund have also entered the conversation. The German club’s reputation for developing young talent needs no introduction, and their relationship with Barcelona has only strengthened after recent dealings, including Karim Adeyemi’s move to Catalonia. For Dortmund, Tommy would be another high-upside midfielder from a school they trust.

Three projects. Three very different pathways. One decision that could define the next phase of his career.

Rodri changes everything

Inside Barcelona, the picture has shifted quickly.

At the start of the summer, the expectation was simple: Tommy would stay. With Marc Casado likely to be sold, the teenager was being lined up to step into that squad role, learning his trade around the first team and fighting for minutes.

Then came the Rodri push.

If the City midfielder arrives, he drops straight into an already congested area of the pitch. That changes the internal hierarchy. Spaces close. Pathways narrow. For a 19-year-old who needs games, not promises, the logic becomes unavoidable: he has to go elsewhere to grow.

Barça are not blind to the risk. They do not want to cut the cord completely. The preferred formula is clear – a permanent sale, but with a buyback option and a sell-on clause. It is the same structure they have used with other academy graduates in recent years: immediate cash, long-term control, and the possibility of a return if the player hits the level they believe he can reach.

Tommy fits that template perfectly.

First casualty of a bigger operation

Rodri’s potential arrival will not just be a headline signing; it will trigger a reshuffle. One or two midfielders are likely to make way. All signs point to Tommy Marques being the first to move as a direct consequence of the operation.

For Barcelona, it is a calculated sacrifice in the pursuit of certainty in midfield. For Manchester City, Braga, and Borussia Dortmund, it is an opportunity to snap up a 19-year-old shaped by La Masia, with his best years still far ahead.

The question now is not whether Tommy leaves, but whose shirt he pulls on next – and how long it will be before Barcelona try to bring him home.