Rodri set for Barcelona move after City accept £65.4m bid

Rodri is set to complete a move to Barcelona after Manchester City accepted a £65.4m bid for the midfielder, bringing one of the club’s most influential recent eras closer to its end.

Barcelona close in on Rodri

The 30-year-old had entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and is understood to have favoured the chance to return to Spain. City had been reluctant to sell, but their position weakened with the player moving towards the end of his deal next summer.

Barcelona had seen earlier offers turned down before reaching a figure City were prepared to accept. The latest agreement leaves Rodri on course for a high-profile switch after seven seasons in Manchester.

A major departure for City

Rodri has been central to City’s success during his time at the club. He won the Premier League four times and scored the decisive goal in the 2023 Champions League final against Inter. The following year he collected the Ballon d’Or, underlining his standing as one of the game’s leading midfielders.

His recent period at City has also been shaped by fitness setbacks. He returned to the club only on Friday after back surgery following the World Cup. Earlier, an anterior cruciate ligament injury had ruled him out of most of the 2024-25 campaign, while hamstring and groin issues limited him to 33 appearances in Pep Guardiola’s final season in charge.

After City’s 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal on Sunday, Enzo Maresca described Rodri as a “top player” and said “all the teams need Rodri”. Maresca also said he had given the midfielder a “big hug” when they first linked up, but City have ultimately been unable to convince him to extend his stay.

City turn to Bouaddi

With Rodri heading for the exit, City are stepping up their pursuit of Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi as they reshape their midfield. Maresca is keen to have the Morocco international available immediately rather than sent back on loan, particularly after the departures of Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders.

City have already invested heavily in the middle of the pitch this summer, spending £116m on Elliot Anderson, and they retain an interest in Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández. But Bouaddi now appears to be the most immediate target as the club looks to respond to the loss of a player who has defined their midfield for much of the past seven years.

• Manchester City accepted Barcelona’s £65.4m bid for Rodri.
• Rodri had entered the final year of his City contract.
• City are closing in on Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi as a replacement.
• Enzo Maresca called Rodri a “top player” after the Community Shield defeat by Arsenal.