Spain's Rodri poses with the tournament's best player award at the end of the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

2026-08-16T19:59:08Z

Rodri, Spain’s World Cup-winning captain, appears to be heading back to Spain after Manchester City and Barcelona reached an agreement over the midfielder’s transfer.

The clubs have agreed to a deal for Rodri worth 76.5 million euros ($88.5 million), a person with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details of the deal have not been made public.

Neither City nor Barcelona have made any official comment about the transfer.

The 30-year-old Rodri has played for City since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019. He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in 2023 and won the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best player the following year after being part of Spain’s European Championship-winning team.

He was an integral member of Spain’s team that won the World Cup last month and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

Rodri had one year left on his contract with City.

His departure would further weaken City’s midfield, with Bernardo Silva having left and joined Real Madrid this summer.

Rodri did not play Sunday in City’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield. He is currently recovering from minor back surgery that he underwent after the World Cup.

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STEVE DOUGLAS





Douglas is a Europe-based sports writer who has covered some of the world’s biggest events for The AP over the last 15 years, notably the men’s soccer World Cup final in 2022. As well as soccer, he handles a range of other sports including golf, cricket and rugby.















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