Manchester City midfielder Rodri has arrived in Barcelona ahead of his €76.5 million (£65.3M) move to the Catalan giants.
The 30-year-old said it was “a dream come true” to be heading to the Nou Camp, with the deal set to be finalised following a medical on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at Barcelona’s El Prat airport, Rodri said: “I’m very happy to be here. It’s been an intense few days, but I’m glad everything is sorted out.
“Playing for Barcelona is a dream come true for me. I’m really looking forward to being with my teammates, most of whom I already know from the national team, so now it’s time to work hard and give my best.
“We’re going for the Champions League, we’re going for everything that comes our way.”
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The midfielder, who lifted the World Cup with Spain this summer, had entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and was the subject of interest from both Barcelona and their archrivals Real Madrid.
Barça had seen an opening offer in the region of €50 million rejected last week and failed with an increased bid before reaching an agreement on Sunday.
If all goes to plan with Rodri’s medical, his signing could be announced later the same day, with a formal presentation pencilled in for Wednesday.
City had hoped to keep Rodri, with manager Enzo Maresca describing him as a “top player” and saying, “all the teams need Rodri” after the Community Shield on Sunday. However, they have been unable to persuade their linchpin to stay and sign a new contract.
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Rodri had only returned to City on Friday having undergone back surgery following the World Cup.
The former Atletico Madrid player has spent seven seasons with City, winning the Premier League four times and scoring the only goal when they beat Inter Milan in the 2023 Champions League final.
The following year he won the Ballon d’Or but by the time he was presented with the trophy he was sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury which ruled him out of most of the 2024-25 campaign.
Further hamstring and groin problems then limited him to 33 appearances in Pep Guardiola’s final campaign in charge.
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City have already undergone major changes in midfield this summer, spending €135m on Elliot Anderson, while agreeing a deal to sell Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadisah.
They have also been linked with Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Chelsea‘s Enzo Fernández.
Information from PA contributed to this report.
