Rodri joins Barcelona from Manchester City for 76.5 million euros

The wait is over for Barcelona in the transfer market: Rodri arrives in the city this Monday to sign his transfer from Manchester City. The midfielder, Spain's captain and newly crowned world champion, will undergo his medical while both clubs finish exchanging the paperwork that closes one of the most talked about deals of the summer.

The agreed fee is around 76.5 million euros (about $88.5 million), according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details had not yet been made official. It's not exactly pocket change, but it's hardly a shock for one of the best midfielders on the planet right now.

Rodri, 30, is coming off a year that any player would sign up for without a second thought: he was key to Spain's second World Cup title last month and picked up the Ballon d'Or as the tournament's best player. Before that, he had already won the Champions League with City in 2023, scoring the decisive goal in the final against Inter Milan, and the Ballon d'Or as the world's best player in 2024, after winning the European Championship with the Spanish national team.

At Camp Nou he'll link up with several national team teammates: Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsí, Gavi and Pedri already wear the blue and red jersey. He had one year left on his contract with City, which no doubt helped push the deal through now rather than later.

A past that makes the Barca faithful even more excited

The curious thing is that there was a time when Real Madrid was also strongly linked to him, and Rodri himself had publicly praised Barcelona's fiercest rival. Soccer has a way of turning things around: he'll end up playing for the Catalan club, something few would have bet on just a couple of years ago.

Hansi Flick's team, chasing a third straight Spanish league title, had already bolstered the squad with English forward Anthony Gordon, brought in to cover for the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, the latter having scored the decisive goal in the World Cup final against Argentina.

For City, the loss stings. The midfield had already taken a hit after Bernardo Silva's departure to Real Madrid earlier this offseason, and losing Rodri leaves a gap that will be tough to fill in the short term. Rodri had joined the English club from Atletico Madrid in 2019 and, over time, became a virtually irreplaceable piece of the puzzle.

In fact, he wasn't available this Sunday for his team's 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield, as he's still recovering from minor back surgery he underwent after the World Cup. Everything points to him arriving in Barcelona still working his way back to full fitness, but eager to get started on this new chapter as soon as possible.