Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca says there are “things we need to do” before the end of the transfer window as Barcelona close in on a deal for hugely influential midfielder Rodri.
Barca failed with offers of £38.5m and £51m for the Spain international but were widely reported to have had a bid accepted on Sunday, with the Guardian putting the Spanish side’s successful offer at £65.4m.
“Rodri’s a player who has just won the World Cup and the [2024] Ballon d’Or,” Maresca said after his first competitive match in charge ended in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff.
“He’s a top player; all the teams need a player like Rodri. We are quite clear with what we need to do and, for sure, we are going to do something before the transfer window closes. It’s not because we lost.”
Rodri transfer: Man City defeat ‘not about’ star
Critics called the performance against the reigning Premier League champions a concerning start to the season for City, who are operating without their transformative manager of modern times, Pep Guardiola, for the first time in 10 years.
Maresca assessed new £116 million signing Elliot Anderson’s display as “quite good” and suggested fellow midfielder Mateo Kovacic had played well, although the scoreline was not harsh on a City side who fell behind after 23 seconds.
“We can find many things after this kind of defeat – we just need to analyse it in the right way,” said Maresca. “It’s not about if we miss Rodri or not.”
Rodri returned to training on Friday but is in the final year of his contract. The Guardian also said City are striking a deal with Lille for 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
When does the summer transfer window 2026 close?
The window opened on Monday June 15 and will shut on Tuesday September 1.
After that, every Premier League club can register a squad of up to 25 players, 17 of whom are allowed to be non-Home Grown Players.
A Home Grown Player has been registered with any club affiliated to the English or Welsh Football Association for three entire seasons or 36 months across their career before his 21st birthday, or the end of the season during which they turn 21.
Under-21 players do not count towards the 25-man limit.
What time does the Premier League transfer window shut on transfer deadline day?
The deadline is 23:00 BST in the Premier League, but clubs can have an extra two hours to file the remaining documentation if they submit a deal sheet confirming that an agreement has been reached.
The deal sheet must arrive fully completed before the transfer window closes.
For international transfers, clubs also have to comply with the FIFA Transfer Matching System deadline of midnight.
Man City team vs Arsenal
Rodri and winger Savinho were thought to have missed out through injury for City. Erling Haaland had a quiet game in attack, with playmaker Jack Grealish among the substitutes.
Manchester City starting XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Nico O’Reilly, Mateo Kovacic, Claudio Echeverri, Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku
Manchester City substitutes: Geronimo Rulli, Marc Guehi, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Nico Gonzalez, Jack Grealish, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Matheus Nunes, Rico Lewis
When does Man City’s 2026/27 Premier League season start?
Maresca’s team play their first match of the Premier League season at home to Bournemouth. Here are the key details.
| Date | Opponents | BST start time | ET | PT | UK TV channel |
| Sun, Aug 23 | Bournemouth (H) | 14:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 | Sky Sports |
