Barcelona officially confirmed on Tuesday the four-year signing of Rodri, with the 30-year-old midfielder committing until June 2030 after Manchester City accepted a fee valued at 76.5 million euros including bonuses. Rodri, who credited a phone call from manager Hansi Flick for convincing him to join, stated he is ready to resume training on Wednesday following a minor back operation in late July.
The transfer caps a transformative summer at City after Pep Guardiola stepped down following a decade in charge, with Bernardo Silva departing for Real Madrid and defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji also sold. The club spent £116 million on Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson and remain in advanced talks for Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Rodri leaves after 298 appearances and 12 major honours, including scoring the decisive goal in City's 2023 Champions League triumph. City released a farewell video featuring a personal message from the player on Tuesday.