Rodri completes £65m Barcelona move from Man City
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Rodri signed a four-year contract at the Nou Camp after Barcelona agreed to pay Manchester City around £65m, having left Atletico Madrid for City in 2019.
- Rodri departs City with 298 appearances and 12 major honours over seven seasons, including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the 2023 Champions League, despite his final two years being disrupted by injury.
- Barcelona beat Real Madrid to the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner after City rejected their opening £38.5m offer; Rodri said playing for the Catalan side is a "dream" and that he is ready to "feel that excitement again."
- Hansi Flick will be Rodri's new manager, with the Spain midfielder praising the German's "different" style and saying it will help him "grow as a player."
- Manchester City are undergoing a major rebuild: Pep Guardiola stepped down after a decade, John Stones and Bernardo Silva left on expired contracts, Silva joining Real Madrid, while defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji and goalkeeper James Trafford were also sold.
- City have spent £116m on England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, are in advanced talks with Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi, are close to selling Tijjani Reijnders to Saudi side Al Qadsiah, and have not given up hope of signing Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez.
- Rodri was in the final 12 months of a contract signed in 2022; City wanted to extend but talks failed, and the club said "Manchester shaped my whole life" in a farewell message.
Why it matters: Barcelona land a 30-year-old Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup-best-player for £65m to anchor Flick's midfield, while City lose their most decorated current player as Guardiola's exit triggers a squad-wide reset under Enzo Maresca, headlined by a £116m outlay on Anderson.
Ask SkimNews
