Rodri lands in Barcelona to complete 'dream' move

What the report says

Spain midfielder Rodri has arrived in Barcelona to finalise his transfer from Manchester City, telling reporters that joining the La Liga club is a personal dream. BBC Sport reports that Barcelona have agreed a fee of about £65m for the 30-year-old, who is expected to sign a four-year contract with the Spanish champions. The move follows a period of negotiations in which City had previously turned down Barcelona’s initial offer.

Rodri said he was relieved the deal had been completed after what he described as an intense few days, and added that he is looking forward to linking up with team-mates he already knows from Spain duty. He also set ambitious targets for his new club, saying he wants to help Barcelona compete for the Champions League and other trophies.

The midfielder leaves City after seven seasons and 298 appearances, during which he won 12 major honours, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League. He joined from Atletico Madrid in 2019 and was later recognised as the world’s best player, but his most recent seasons were affected by injury. BBC Sport notes that Barcelona had been pushing to complete the signing in recent days after earlier interest from Real Madrid.