Barcelona Set to Land Rodri as Manchester City Accept £65.4m Offer

Manchester City look poised to lose Rodri to Barcelona after agreeing to sell the World Cup winner for £65.4m, bringing an end to protracted negotiations between the two clubs.

With just one year remaining on his contract, the 30-year-old midfielder had openly signalled his desire to join Barcelona. Though City had hoped to retain their key midfielder, his impending free-agent status next summer left the club with little leverage to resist a sale.

The agreed fee represents a substantial rise from Barcelona's previous offers. City had rebuffed a bid worth roughly €60m (£51m) just last week, after initially rejecting an even lower proposal of €45m (£38.5m) from the Catalan club.

Enzo Maresca spoke about the situation after watching his side lose 3-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday, praising Rodri as a "top player" whom "all the teams need." Yet despite such admiration, City have failed to persuade him to extend his stay. Rodri had rejoined training only days earlier, on Friday, following back surgery undergone after the World Cup.

Over seven seasons with the team, Rodri helped City claim four Premier League titles and was the matchwinner in the club's 2023 Champions League final triumph over Inter Milan. His individual peak came the following year when he was awarded the Ballon d'Or, though injury had already struck by the time he received it — an ACL tear sidelined him for much of the 2024-25 season.

Rodri's departure fits into a broader restructuring of City's midfield this summer. The club has already committed £116m to sign Elliot Anderson and struck a deal to offload Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah. Attention has now turned to completing a move for Ayyoub Bouaddi, the young Moroccan international who caught the eye during the World Cup.