Barcelona have completed the signing of Rodri from Manchester City in a deal worth £65.4 million, according to Sky Sports.
The Spain World Cup winner and former Ballon d’Or winner has agreed a four-year contract with the LaLiga giants after helping City secure four Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph.
Rodri, 30, had just one year remaining on his Manchester City contract. Although the club wanted to retain the midfielder and persuade him to sign a new deal, Barcelona’s third offer proved too attractive to reject.
The Catalan club had previously seen bids of £40 million and £55 million turned down by City before the two sides eventually reached an agreement.
City are now looking for potential replacements for Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders, who is expected to complete a move to Saudi Arabian club Al Qadsiah in a deal worth around £51 million.
Enzo Maresca’s side remain interested in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, despite failing to submit a bid before the 5pm deadline on August 14. City are also negotiating with Lille over the possible signing of Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Lille are reportedly demanding around £85 million for Bouaddi, while talks between the two clubs were confirmed by their head coach, Davide Ancelotti, over the weekend.
City’s record without Rodri in their starting line-up since his arrival from Atletico Madrid ahead of the 2019/20 season highlights just how important the midfielder has been to the team.
In the 87 matches in which Rodri was absent from the starting line-up, City suffered 20 defeats. That is only one fewer loss than the club recorded in 179 matches when he started.
The figures also show that City’s defeat rate doubled when Rodri was not included in the starting XI, underlining the significant impact his departure could have on the team.