Barcelona have signed Spain captain Rodri from Manchester City for on a four-year deal for a fee which could rise to £65.3million.
Barca failed with offers of £38.5m and £51m for the 30-year-old earlier this month but had a third bid accepted on Sunday, with the midfielder in the final year of his contract at the Premier League club.
The Spain captain scored the winner when City won the Champions League in 2023 and won the Ballon d’Or in the process.
He said: “What we have done together in these years is something both very special and unforgettable.
“These seven years have been incredible. I have cherished every moment of what we achieved together and will always carry Manchester City in my heart.”
Rodri: Why Barcelona have signed Spain skipper
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was named player of the tournament at the World Cup 2026, helping La Roja win the title for the second time.
Following the end of Pep Guardiola’s transformative 10-year reign at City, Rodri’s seven-year spell at the club became increasingly uncertain with his contract approaching expiry.
Barca are renowned for pressing high under Hansi Flick and Rodri’s ability to dictate play through the centre of the pitch should allow the reigning champions to pursue their cavalier style even more effectively as they target a third consecutive Liga title under the German and Champions League glory for the first time since 2015.
One of their key midfielders, Frenkie de Jong, suffered a serious knee injury while representing the Netherlands at the World Cup.
Rodri reportedly wanted a deal last week to avoid having to fly back to Manchester after house-hunting in Catalonia, but the former Atletico Madrid and Villarreal player rejoined his City teammates on Friday to enable City medics to assess his fitness following a minor back operation.
New City head coach Enzo Maresca did not include Rodri in his matchday squad for the 3-0 defeat to Premier League holders Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff on Sunday.
How Madrid may have influenced Barca signing Rodri
Madrid were widely reported to have held unsuccessful initial talks with Rodri in July. Rodri’s agent, Pablo Barquero, told Cadena SER radio in August that the player had informed Madrid he preferred to pursue talks with Barcelona.
Madrid’s interest in Rodri under new head coach Jose Mourinho may have concerned Barca, with some experts suggesting part of the motive for the deal is to stop last season’s runners-up from recruiting one of the finest players in the world.
“At Real Madrid, he would have revolutionised the team and improved the whole club,” former Blancos boss Jorge Valdano told Movistar Plus Deportes (via Marca).
“For me, Rodri is worth €35m (£30m) to Barca for what he would contribute and €40m (£34.2m) to Real Madrid.”
Rodri stats: Manchester City, Spain trophies
In July 2019, City paid Rodri’s £62.6m release clause at Atleti, where he had won the Super Cup in 2018.
Six years later, Rodri was a four-time Premier League champion and had won the 2022/23 Champions League – including the Player of the Season accolade in the competition – and the FA Cup once and EFL Cup twice.
City won the Super Cup and Club World Cup in 2023 and added the FA Cup and EFL Cup again during Rodri’s final season, although they finished second to Arsenal in the top flight.
The Cityzens’ title defence nose-dived in 2024/25 after Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in a home game against the Gunners in September.
The succession of physical issues Rodri has faced over the last three seasons – missing a total of 84 matches for club and country across that period – has coincided with City’s supremacy in England tailing off.
A EURO Under-19 champion in 2015, Rodri has won the 2022/23 Nations League and was the Player of the Tournament as Spain prevailed at EURO 2024.
New club teammate Pau Cubarsi was a distant second to Rodri in open-play passing at the World Cup 2026, finishing 112 behind him.
Fellow Barcelona player Pedri was the only player to attempt more passes in the final third. Here are some of Rodri’s key stats from that campaign.
| Total | Rank | |
| Minutes | 726 | 6th |
| Open-play passes | 711 | 1st |
| Successful open-play passes | 756 | 1st |
| Successful final-third passes | 204 | 1st |
| Carries | 189 | 1st |
| Progressive carries | 111 | 2nd |
When will Rodri play for Barcelona?
Here’s how Barcelona’s first four fixtures of the 2026/27 season look.
| Date | Opponents | BST | ET | PT |
| Sun, Aug 23 | Elche (A) | 20:30 | 15:30 | 12:30 |
| Thurs, Aug 27 | Athletic Club (H) | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 |
| Mon, Aug 31 | Rayo Vallecano (H) | 20:30 | 15:30 | 12:30 |
| Sun, Sept 6 | Valencia (A) | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 |
