€76.5 million deal sealed! Rodri lands at Barcelona, Camp Nou dream becomes reality
On Tuesday local time, Rodri will undergo a medical, after which the €76.5 million (approximately £65.3 million) transfer will be officially announced. The 30-year-old midfield linchpin has already flown from Manchester to Barcelona and is about to don the Catalan giants' shirt. In his view, stepping onto the Camp Nou pitch in the future is exactly the moment of "dream come true."
Speaking to reporters at El Prat Airport, Rodri could not hide his excitement: "I'm really happy to be here. The past few days have been both tense and busy, but the final result is reassuring." He added, "I have always dreamed of playing for Barcelona. Many of my new teammates have already fought alongside me in the national team, and now we will go all out to win together. The team will challenge for the Champions League and all possible honors."
As a key figure who helped Spain win the World Cup this summer, Rodri's current contract has entered its final year. Earlier, both Barcelona and arch-rivals Real Madrid were eyeing him. Insiders revealed that Barcelona submitted an initial offer of around €50 million last week, which was rejected; even with subsequent increases, the agreement was only finalized on Sunday.
If the medical goes smoothly, Barcelona is likely to officially announce the signing later that day, and his first appearance as a new signing is expected to be arranged on Wednesday. Manchester City initially did not want to let go of the midfield star; manager Enzo Maresca called Rodri a "top player" after Sunday's Community Shield match and stressed that "all teams need Rodri." Unfortunately, the club was never able to persuade him to sign a contract extension.
After the World Cup campaign ended, Rodri underwent back surgery and only returned to Manchester City last Friday. The midfielder, who came from Atlético Madrid, spent seven full seasons at City, winning the Premier League title four times and scoring the winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final against Inter Milan. The following year, he received the Ballon d'Or, but at the time he was sidelined due to an ACL injury that caused him to miss most of the 2024-25 season. Since then, recurring hamstring and groin issues also limited him to just 33 appearances in his final season under Guardiola.
This summer, Manchester City's midfield has undergone a major overhaul. They brought in Elliot Anderson for €135 million and agreed to sell Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah. Meanwhile, City have also been linked with Lille youngster Ayyoub Bouaddi and Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández.