Rodri Poised to Join Barcelona as Manchester City Approve £65.4m Offer

Rodri appears poised to join Barcelona after Manchester City agreed to a £65.4m offer from the Catalan club.

The 30-year-old World Cup champion was approaching the last year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and had expressed his desire to pursue a move to Barcelona. City, who are nearing an agreement for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, did not want to lose Rodri but had limited options because the Spain international could leave for free next summer.

City turned down an offer worth about €60m (£51m) from Barcelona last week, having previously rejected an opening proposal of €45m (£38.5m). The club has now approved the improved bid.

Following City’s 3-0 Community Shield loss to Arsenal on Sunday, Enzo Maresca described Rodri as a “top player” and said that “all the teams need Rodri”. However, City failed to convince the influential midfielder to remain at the club and agree to a new contract. Rodri had only reported back on Friday after undergoing back surgery following the World Cup, and Maresca said he welcomed him with a “big hug”.

During seven seasons at City, Rodri collected four Premier League titles and scored the decisive goal against Inter in the 2023 Champions League final. He claimed the Ballon d’Or the following year, although an anterior cruciate ligament injury had already sidelined him by the time he received the award. The injury kept him out for most of the 2024-25 season, while subsequent hamstring and groin issues restricted him to 33 appearances during Pep Guardiola’s last campaign in charge.

City’s midfield has already been significantly reshaped this summer. The club spent £116m on Elliot Anderson and reached an agreement to transfer Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah. Attention has now turned to completing a deal for Moroccan prospect Bouaddi.

The teenager produced impressive performances at the World Cup, and Lille initially wanted any transfer agreement to include a 12-month loan back to the French club. With Bernardo Silva and Rodri departing, however, Maresca wants to strengthen his midfield for the upcoming campaign and would prefer Bouaddi to be available immediately. City have also been associated with a possible move for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández, who remains a player of interest.