Barcelona agree £65m deal for Rodri as Manchester City weigh midfield replacements

Spain captain Rodri has agreed a move to Barcelona from Manchester City for about £65m, the transfer was reported on 16 August 2026; the 30-year-old is expected to sign a four-year contract with the Spanish champions and the deal is likely to be completed in the coming days.

Rodri, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2024, made 298 appearances for Manchester City across seven seasons after arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a then club-record £62.8m. He missed much of the 2024-25 campaign with a serious knee injury and had parts of last season disrupted by a hamstring problem, but returned to captain Spain to World Cup victory this summer and was named player of the tournament. During his time at City he won 12 major honours, including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League in 2022-23.

Manchester City have been linked with Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez as a direct replacement, but Chelsea did not receive a bid before their Friday 17:00 BST deadline and told interested parties they wanted £120m for the 25-year-old. Chelsea are not thought to have received offers and Xabi Alonso's side hope to keep their vice-captain, while City are understood not to regard the topic as closed and still consider Chelsea to be open to a deal. A £120m transfer would rank as the fourth-biggest football transfer ever.

Enzo Maresca, who made Fernandez Chelsea captain when Reece James was injured, played the Argentine in 79 of his 92 games in charge at Stamford Bridge. Fernandez is described as by nature a defensive midfielder but Maresca used him further forward frequently last season when Cole Palmer was injured, a role that coincided with a career-best 15 goals for the Argentine.

City have added England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Forest this summer, a signing the club view as providing flexibility in midfield selection and one that would allow Anderson and Fernandez to operate together if a move for Fernandez is agreed. Whether a transfer for Fernandez can be finalised or whether Chelsea will hold on to him remains unresolved.

Other names linked as possible City targets include 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, for whom talks have reportedly taken place and who is said to be available for an estimated £85m; Bouaddi is described as a deep-lying conductor in the mould of Rodri, impressed at this summer's World Cup and was noted for his role in Lille's Champions League victory over Real Madrid in 2024. Bournemouth's Alex Scott is another option City have explored; the 22-year-old has rejected contract offers from the Cherries amid interest from other Premier League clubs, his current deal runs until 2028, and Bournemouth rejected a £64m bid from Chelsea last month while rebuffing approaches from Arsenal.

Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister has also been linked with a move to City; he is into the final two years of his contract at Anfield, has been a consistent presence in Liverpool's midfield though he struggled for form during the 2025-26 season, and, as a Premier League winner, is viewed as a ready-made candidate to fill a midfield vacancy.

Rodri is set to sign a four-year deal with Barcelona and the transfer is expected to be completed in the coming days; Manchester City have several midfield targets publicly linked to them as they seek replacements, including Enzo Fernandez, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Alex Scott and Alexis Mac Allister.