Manchester City's manager, Enzo Maresca, has said the club will "try to find the new Rodri" after the Spain captain's departure to Barcelona in a deal worth around £65m, as he prepares his side to open the Premier League season at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.
Rodri was in the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium. City offered him an extension but the two sides could not reach an agreement, and the 30-year-old has signed a four-year deal at the Nou Camp. Maresca said he had not stood in the way of the move. "He can go, absolutely," he said. "If he is not happy, he is not going to perform in the right way."
Maresca pointed to City's record of replacing key departures. He recalled how David Silva's exit brought in Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Agüero's led to Erling Haaland, and Fernandinho's led to Rodri himself. "When they leave, you need to be good at recruiting the next one," he said. "It is normal, it is change, it is not a problem, go again and try to do the right things."
On the specific task of replacing his midfield anchor, Maresca said: "How do we solve that problem? We try to find the new Rodri, it is what it is." He noted that Rodri had arrived without a Ballon d'Or, a Champions League title or a Club World Cup to his name; he went on to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or, score the only goal in the 2023 Champions League final and claim four Premier League titles in seven seasons at the Etihad.