Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Rodri arrived in Barcelona on Monday to seal his transfer from Manchester City, saying it’s a dream to play for the Catalan club.
Rodri won the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player. He had one year left on his contract at City. Real Madrid was also reportedly interested in signing Rodri, and he had loudly praised the Barcelona rival in the past.
Barcelona agreed to a deal worth 76.5 million euros ($88.5 million), a person with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to the Associated Press on Sunday. His deal with Barcelona reportedly will go until 2030. Because details of the transfer have not been made public, the person spoke on condition of anonymity.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, chasing a three-peat in La Liga, has already boosted its squad with England forward Anthony Gordon, who will help to make up for the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal in extra time in the World Cup final against Argentina. The club is also set to add defender João Cancelo in the next few days.
Rodri joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2019. He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in 2023, and won the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best player the following year after being part of Spain’s European Championship-winning team.
