Barcelona signal Man Metropolis star in £65m switch as Actual Madrid miss out on Spain captain
Barcelona have signed Spain captain Rodri from Manchester Metropolis for on a four-year deal for a price which may rise to £65.3million.
Barca failed with affords of £38.5m and £51m for the 30-year-old earlier this month however had a 3rd bid accepted on Sunday, with the midfielder within the remaining yr of his contract on the Premier League membership.
The Spain captain scored the winner when Metropolis received the Champions League in 2023 and received the Ballon d’Or within the course of.
He mentioned: “What we have now executed collectively in these years is one thing each very particular and unforgettable.
“These seven years have been unimaginable. I’ve cherished each second of what we achieved collectively and can at all times carry Manchester Metropolis in my coronary heart.”
Rodri: Why Barcelona have signed Spain skipper
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was named participant of the match on the World Cup 2026, serving to La Roja win the title for the second time.
Following the top of Pep Guardiola’s transformative 10-year reign at Metropolis, Rodri’s seven-year spell on the membership grew to become more and more unsure along with his contract approaching expiry.
Barca are famend for urgent excessive below Hansi Flick and Rodri’s skill to dictate play by way of the centre of the pitch ought to permit the reigning champions to pursue their cavalier fashion much more successfully as they aim a 3rd consecutive Liga title below the German and Champions League glory for the primary time since 2015.
One in every of their key midfielders, Frenkie de Jong, suffered a severe knee damage whereas representing the Netherlands on the World Cup.
Rodri reportedly wished a deal final week to keep away from having to fly again to Manchester after house-hunting in Catalonia, however the former Atletico Madrid and Villarreal participant rejoined his Metropolis teammates on Friday to allow Metropolis medics to evaluate his health following a minor again operation.
New Metropolis head coach Enzo Maresca didn’t embody Rodri in his matchday squad for the 3-0 defeat to Premier League holders Arsenal within the Group Defend in Cardiff on Sunday.
The midfielder says he’s match and raring to go at his new membership after a again damage.
He mentioned: “The surgical procedure everybody was speaking about was no massive deal – it was simply an outpatient process.
“I’m prepared to coach with the group, and when the coach thinks it’s time – as soon as I’ve gotten again into the swing of issues – I’ll be able to play. I hope that’s as quickly as potential.”
How Madrid might have influenced Barca signing Rodri
Madrid had been broadly reported to have held unsuccessful preliminary talks with Rodri in July. Rodri’s agent, Pablo Barquero, advised Cadena SER radio in August that the participant had knowledgeable Madrid he most popular to pursue talks with Barcelona.
Madrid’s curiosity in Rodri below new head coach Jose Mourinho might have involved Barca, with some consultants suggesting a part of the motive for the deal is to cease final season’s runners-up from recruiting one of many best gamers on the planet.
“At Actual Madrid, he would have revolutionised the group and improved the entire membership,” former Blancos boss Jorge Valdano advised Movistar Plus Deportes (through Marca).
“For me, Rodri is price €35m (£30m) to Barca for what he would contribute and €40m (£34.2m) to Actual Madrid.”
Rodri stats: Manchester Metropolis, Spain trophies
In July 2019, Metropolis paid Rodri’s £62.6m launch clause at Atleti, the place he had received the Tremendous Cup in 2018.
Six years later, Rodri was a four-time Premier League champion and had received the 2022/23 Champions League – together with the Participant of the Season accolade within the competitors – and the FA Cup as soon as and EFL Cup twice.
Metropolis received the Tremendous Cup and Membership World Cup in 2023 and added the FA Cup and EFL Cup once more throughout Rodri’s remaining season, though they completed second to Arsenal within the prime flight.
The Cityzens’ title defence nose-dived in 2024/25 after Rodri suffered a severe knee damage in a house recreation in opposition to the Gunners in September.
The succession of bodily points Rodri has confronted over the past three seasons – lacking a complete of 84 matches for membership and nation throughout that interval – has coincided with Metropolis’s supremacy in England tailing off.
A EURO Underneath-19 champion in 2015, Rodri has received the 2022/23 Nations League and was the Participant of the Match as Spain prevailed at EURO 2024.
New membership teammate Pau Cubarsi was a distant second to Rodri in open-play passing on the World Cup 2026, ending 112 behind him.
Fellow Barcelona participant Pedri was the one participant to aim extra passes within the remaining third. Listed below are a few of Rodri’s key stats from that marketing campaign.
| Whole | Rank | |
| Minutes | 726 | sixth |
| Open-play passes | 711 | 1st |
| Profitable open-play passes | 756 | 1st |
| Profitable final-third passes | 204 | 1st |
| Carries | 189 | 1st |
| Progressive carries | 111 | 2nd |
When will Rodri play for Barcelona?
Right here’s how Barcelona’s first 4 fixtures of the 2026/27 season look.
| Date | Opponents | BST | ET | PT |
| Solar, Aug 23 | Elche (A) | 20:30 | 15:30 | 12:30 |
| Thurs, Aug 27 | Athletic Membership (H) | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 |
| Mon, Aug 31 | Rayo Vallecano (H) | 20:30 | 15:30 | 12:30 |
| Solar, Sept 6 | Valencia (A) | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 |
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