Edited by Paul Elegbeleye
Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Spain captain Rodri from Manchester City, with the World Cup winner set to complete a move worth around £65.3 million.
The Spanish champions reached the agreement on Sunday, two days after Rodri missed City’s 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal while recovering from back surgery. He is expected to undergo his medical in the coming days and sign a four-year contract through to 2030.
BBC Sport’s Spanish football reporter Elizabeth Conway confirmed the transfer would be completed shortly after City accepted Barcelona’s third offer. According to David Ornstein at The Athletic, the total package is worth €76.5 million, made up of a fixed fee of roughly €60 million plus performance-related add-ons. That structure matches figures reported by ESPN, who cited sources confirming the two clubs had finalised paperwork over the weekend.
The move ends a seven-year spell in which Rodri became one of the most influential midfielders in Premier League history.
He joined City from Atlético Madrid in 2019 for a then club-record £62.8 million and went on to make 298 appearances, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League in 2022/23.
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Why City Let Their World Cup Winner Leave
Rodri had one year remaining on his City contract, and while the club wanted him to sign an extension, he made his preference to leave clear during the summer. Barcelona’s opening bid of around £40 million was rejected last week. City then knocked back a follow-up offer worth £55 million before finally accepting the improved package on Sunday.
Real Madrid had also been strongly linked with Rodri following Spain’s World Cup triumph in July. However, Barcelona pushed hard to complete the deal, and reports from Yahoo Sports suggest a phone call from head coach Hansi Flick played a significant part in convincing him to choose Camp Nou instead.
Frenkie de Jong’s recent injury setback, which is expected to sideline the Dutch midfielder for several months, added extra urgency to Barcelona’s pursuit.
City boss Enzo Maresca addressed the departure after Sunday’s Community Shield loss. “Rodri is a player who just won the World Cup and Ballon d’Or,” Maresca told reporters. “He’s a top player, all the teams need a Rodri, so it’s not about if we miss Rodri or not.”
The Gap Rodri Leaves Behind
Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom described the sale as leaving “a huge hole” in City’s midfield. He pointed to Sunday’s defeat as early evidence of the impact, since City struggled for control through the centre of the pitch without their captain available.
Rodri’s importance to City’s most successful period is well documented. He scored the winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul and later won both the Euros and the World Cup with Spain, collecting the Ballon d’Or along the way in 2024.
Persistent injuries disrupted his following two seasons, including a serious knee problem that ruled him out for much of 2024/25, yet he returned to inspire Spain’s World Cup win this past summer, earning the tournament’s player of the tournament award.
Conclusion
City are already working to reshape their midfield. They broke the British transfer record this summer by signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million and remain in talks over a possible deal for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández, despite missing the Blues’ deadline for an offer on Friday.
Reports also link City with Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi, whose profile as a deep-lying playmaker echoes aspects of Rodri’s own game.
For Barcelona, Rodri becomes their fourth major addition of the transfer window, following the earlier arrivals of Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu.
He is to be unveiled ahead of Wednesday’s Joan Gamper Trophy match against Al Ahly at Spotify Camp Nou, giving him several days to settle before Barcelona open their La Liga campaign against Elche on 23 August.
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