Barcelona sign Rodri from Man City in £65m deal

Barcelona have announced the signing of midfielder Rodri from Manchester City in a deal worth in the region of £65m.

The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner has signed a four-year contract at the Nou Camp, returning to Spanish football for the first time since he left Atletico Madrid in 2019.

Rodri, 30, leaves City after seven seasons at the club, having made 298 appearances and won 12 major honours, including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League in 2023.

His final two seasons at the club were disrupted by injury but he returned to his best form in this summer's World Cup, being named player of the tournament as Spain lifted the trophy for the second time.

In a farewell message to City fans, Rodri said: "I am leaving the club with a huge sense of pride about what we have achieved and gratitude too for so many amazing memories.

"What we have done together in these years is something both very special and unforgettable.

"City didn't just make me a grow as a player. They made me grow as a human. I saw my brother graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University. I could see my girlfriend working for the NHS. Manchester shaped my whole life."

Rodri was into the final 12 months of a contract he signed with City in 2022, and although the Premier League side wanted to give him an extension, talks did not yield a result.