Ballon d'Or winner Rodri leaves Man City for Barcelona in £68m deal

Rodri is leaving Manchester City for Barcelona in a deal worth a reported $87.8 million, ending the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner’s six-year spell in the Premier League and returning him to Spanish football.

City will receive an initial fee of $68.8 million, with performance-related add-ons expected to push the total package to at least $82 million. The Spanish midfielder was entering the final year of his contract at the Etihad.

The transfer caps a remarkable summer for the 28-year-old, who claimed the Golden Ball award after leading Spain to the World Cup this year — their second world title — before being crowned the best player on the planet at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

At Barcelona, Rodri will link up with seven of his World Cup-winning Spain teammates: Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsí, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Pedri, and Lamine Yamal. The reunion gives Hansi Flick’s side a formidable Spanish core in what has been an exceptionally active summer window.

Rodri’s arrival comes alongside those of Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Jesse Bisiwu, and João Cancelo as Barcelona reshape their squad ahead of the new season.

The move marks a homecoming of sorts for Rodri, who came through the youth ranks at Atlético Madrid and also had a spell at Villarreal before Pep Guardiola brought him to the Premier League in 2019. At City, he became one of the most influential defensive midfielders in world football, playing a central role in the club’s historic treble-winning 2022-23 campaign.

Rodri is expected to be presented at Camp Nou ahead of Barcelona’s Joan Gamper Trophy fixture against Al Ahly.