Barcelona Agrees to Sign Rodri from Manchester City

Jakarta - Barcelona have reached an agreement with Manchester City to sign Spain national team captain Rodri during the 2026 summer transfer window.

Manchester City accepted Barcelona's offer worth approximately 65.4 million pounds sterling for the 30-year-old midfielder.

Rodri has also agreed to a four-year contract with Barcelona, and the full transfer process is scheduled to be completed within the coming days, the BBC reported on 17/08/2026.

This deal concludes the race for Rodri, who had previously been linked with Real Madrid. Barcelona raised their offer after their first two proposals were rejected by Manchester City.

Rodri originally joined Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a transfer fee of around 62.8 million pounds sterling, which stood as the club's transfer record at the time.

Across seven seasons at the Etihad Stadium, Rodri recorded 298 appearances and established himself as one of the most pivotal players throughout Manchester City's era of unprecedented success.

He helped the club lift 13 total trophies: four Premier League titles, three English League Cups, two FA Cups, the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and Community Shield.

One of Rodri's defining moments with City came in the 2022/23 Champions League final, when he scored the sole winning goal for the 1-0 victory against Inter Milan.

His individual career reached its peak in 2024 when Rodri won the Ballon d'Or, becoming both the first Manchester City player and the first midfielder since Luka Modric to claim the prestigious award.

Rodri's final two seasons at Manchester City were disrupted by injury. He missed the majority of the 2024/25 campaign with a serious knee injury, before later suffering recurring hamstring issues.

His fitness status has returned to focus ahead of his move to Barcelona. Rodri only recently resumed full training following minor back surgery, and did not feature in Manchester City's 0-3 Community Shield defeat against Arsenal on Sunday 16/8.

Rodri closed out his international career with Spain on an exceptional high. He was a core player in La Roja's 2026 World Cup triumph, where they defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final hosted in New Jersey.

This marked Spain's second World Cup title, following their 2010 victory. Rodri was also awarded the tournament Golden Ball as the best overall player.

The transfer to Barcelona will see Rodri return to La Liga after seven years competing in England. Before joining Manchester City, he played professionally for Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.

For Barcelona, Rodri's arrival adds proven top-level experience and quality to their midfield, bringing a player renowned for his match tempo control along with a track record of winning major honours at the highest stage of the sport.

Meanwhile for Manchester City, Rodri's departure leaves a major void in central midfield. The club now must source a replacement for a player who served as one of the foundational pillars of their playing system for seven full seasons.

Manchester City have already signed Elliot Anderson, and remain linked with multiple other midfielders including Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez. Bouaddi is cited as one of the leading candidates to fill the deep-lying holding midfield role left vacant by Rodri.

Rodri's transfer to Barcelona is not yet formally completed, as it still requires final administrative processes and standard transfer clearance steps. However, full agreement has been reached between both clubs, and all personal contract terms with the player have been finalised.