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The saga has reached its conclusion. Manchester City has accepted an offer from FC Barcelona of around 76 million euros for Rodri, and the Spain captain, 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, will commit for four seasons. Arriving in 2019 from Atlético, the 30-year-old midfielder is expected to undergo his medical and sign in the coming days.
Three offers to make City yield
As early as August 6, L'Athletic mentioned a strong interest from the Catalans, whom Rodri already favored despite approaches from Real Madrid, once presented as his most likely destination.
Barça took their time and spent the money. As early as August 6, L'Athletic mentioned a strong interest from the Catalans, whom Rodri already favored despite approaches from Real Madrid, once presented as his most likely destination. Manchester City first rejected an initial offer of 45 million euros, then a second of around 60 million last week. The third, raised to around 76.5 million euros, or 65 million pounds, finally convinced the English management. According to the BBC, the player will sign a four-year deal.
What Barça gains, what City loses
Rodri is not an ordinary reinforcement. 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, captain of La Roja, he was also named best player of Euro 2024, won with Spain. At City, he played 298 matches with 28 goals and 32 assists. His Manchester trophy cabinet includes four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups, and one Champions League, won in 2023 with a goal he scored in the final. At 30, he offers Barcelona the anchor point the club had been seeking since Sergio Busquets' departure, and a dressing-room leader with an impeccable career. Across the Channel, Pep Guardiola loses the player who had structured his midfield for seven years: finding a successor becomes the priority project of the Manchester summer.
A 76 million deal, a win-win?
For City, letting go of a 30-year-old player at the peak of his value is a calculated decision. For Barça, it's a coup: the Catalan champions return to big spending after years of financial restraint, and send a strong signal to La Liga and Europe. The amount, around 76 million euros, remains reasonable given the player's status, even if it will weigh on the blaugrana accounts.
The final stretch before the announcement
Only the administrative part remains. The medical, the signing of the four-year contract, and the official announcement should take place in the coming days, as reported by the BBC and The Guardian. Real Madrid, once in the race, sees the matter slip away definitively. The question posed to Barcelona is not sporting but financial: fitting the Ballon d'Or winner's salary into an already constrained budget, an exercise that has become familiar for the Catalan management.
This signing, once completed, reshapes the Barcelona midfield for the upcoming season. Pedri and Gavi will gain a framework with an incomparable trophy haul, while Guardiola will have to reinvent a midfield organized around Rodri for seven seasons. The Madrid club, beaten on this matter, will have to fall back on other options. Judging by the market's activity, the Catalan transfer window may just be getting started.