Manchester City accepted Barcelona's third bid for Rodri on Sunday, the day their midfield was taken apart by Arsenal in the Community Shield. The fee is £65.4m, the contract a four-year one, and the transfer is expected to be completed within days. City open their league season at home to Bournemouth on 23 August.
They did not want to sell. An opening offer of £38.5m was rejected, then a second reported at between £51m and £55m, and the club spent the summer trying to persuade Rodri to sign an extension instead. What they could not do was hold a 30-year-old who was into the final year of his contract and had made it clear he wanted to go back to Spain. The third offer, a total package worth €76.5m, was accepted, with the two clubs exchanging paperwork and finalising the agreement.
What leaves with him
Rodri made 298 appearances in seven seasons after joining from Atlético Madrid in 2019 for a then club record £62.8m, and goes with 12 major honours: four league titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League. He scored the only goal of the 2023 final against Inter. He won the Ballon d'Or the following year.