Rodri has arrived in Barcelona to complete his £65.4m move from Manchester City.
The Spain midfielder is due to undergo a medical on Tuesday before signing for the Catalan club.
The 30-year-old landed at El Prat airport on Monday and said he was eager to begin work with his new teammates. “Very happy to arrive,” Rodri said. “There have been some very intense days, but I’m happy that everything has been resolved.
“For me it’s a dream to play for Barcelona. I’m excited about being with my teammates, many of them I already know. Now it’s time to get to work and give my best.”
Barcelona agreed the deal after making three bids for the midfielder. City rejected an initial offer of about €45m (£38.5m) and turned down a second proposal worth around €60m (£51m) before accepting the latest bid.
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Rodri had entered the final year of his contract at City and had indicated that he wanted to join Barcelona. The Premier League club had hoped to retain a player regarded as central to their midfield but were unable to persuade him to sign a new agreement.
His departure leaves City facing another significant change in midfield. They have already signed Elliot Anderson for £116m and agreed to sell Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah. The club are also close to completing a deal for Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi and retain an interest in Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández.
Enzo Maresca stressed Rodri’s importance after City’s 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal on Sunday. “He’s a top player,” the City manager said. “All the teams need Rodri.” The midfielder had returned to training only on Friday after undergoing back surgery following Spain’s World Cup triumph.
Rodri leaves City after seven seasons in which he won four Premier League titles and scored the only goal in their 1-0 victory over Internazionale in the 2023 Champions League final.
He won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 but missed much of the following season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Hamstring and groin problems then restricted him to 33 appearances during Guardiola’s final campaign as City manager.
