Headline: Manchester City Accepts £65.4m Bid from Barcelona for Rodri
Manchester City has agreed to sell Rodri to Barcelona for £65.4 million. The Spain international, who captained his national team to victory in the World Cup, is preparing to leave the Etihad Stadium for the La Liga champions. This transfer leaves City with the challenge of finding a suitable replacement for the talented midfielder.
Barcelona’s negotiations initially faced hurdles, with City’s rejection of two previous offers, the first of which was a mere £38.4 million. However, the third proposal met City’s expectations, prompting the deal to proceed.
Rodri’s contract at City has entered its final year, and he had shown reluctance to extend it. The club faced the risk of losing him without any transfer fee if he remained unsold this summer. Now, the club has a two-week window to identify a new player to fill Rodri’s position. City is reportedly exploring options, including Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who Lille manager Davide Ancelotti confirmed had been discussed, as well as Enzo Fernandez.
Despite interest in Fernandez, City missed Chelsea’s deadline for bids set on Friday. Chelsea values the midfielder at £120 million, and City did not make an offer before the cut-off.
After a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield, City manager Enzo Maresca emphasized the importance of having players like Rodri on the team. On Bouaddi, he remarked, “He’s still a Lille player. But any new signing, any new player, for sure as soon as they arrive it’s better.”
This summer, City made a significant addition to their midfield by signing Elliot Anderson for £116 million, breaking their transfer record. However, they also saw the departure of former captain Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid and are nearing a sale of Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah for £51 million.
Rodri joined Manchester City in 2019 for a club record £61 million and has made 298 appearances, scoring 28 goals, including the decisive goal in the 2023 Champions League final. During his time with City, he has contributed to the club’s success, winning 11 trophies, which include four Premier League titles and the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2024.
Manchester City have accepted a bid of £65.4m from Barcelona for Rodri.
Spain’s World Cup-winning captain is set to leave the Etihad Stadium to join the LaLiga champions and leave City with the question of how to replace him.
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Barcelona had two previous offers for Rodri refused with City deeming the first, of just £38.4m, not serious but their third bid matched City’s valuation.
Rodri, who had been reluctant to sign a new deal, has entered the last year of his contract and City risked losing him on a free transfer if he was not sold this summer.
Now they will have two weeks to find a replacement. They are interested in Ayyoub Bouaddi, with Lille manager Davide Ancelotti saying there have been talks about the Moroccan midfielder, and Enzo Fernandez.
Rodri will leave Manchester City for Barcelona (Reuters)
However, Chelsea had set a deadline of Friday for clubs to bid for Fernandez, who they value at £120m, and City did not submit an offer by then.
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After the 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, City manager Enzo Maresca said: “All teams need a player like Rodri.”
On the subject of Bouaddi, he added: “He’s still a Lille player. But any new signing, any new player, for sure as soon as they arrive it’s better.”
City have already signed one midfielder this summer, breaking their transfer record to pay £116m for Elliot Anderson, but former captain Bernardo Silva left to join Real Madrid and they are on the brink of selling Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah for £51m.
Rodri, who was a club record £61m buy when he joined City in 2019, has scored 28 goals in 298 appearances for them, including the only goal in the 2023 Champions League final.
He won 11 trophies in total, including the Premier League four times, as well as the Ballon d’Or in 2024.
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