BARCELONA — The wait is over. Rodri has touched down in Catalonia, and the transfer that has gripped Spanish football’s summer has taken its final, decisive step. Manchester City’s midfield engine arrived at El Prat airport on Monday alongside his family, greeted by throngs of supporters and a media wall at the private flights terminal. The only thing standing between him and a new life at Barcelona is Tuesday’s medical; the two, from all cynicism, will be a formality. The deal, finally agreed on Sunday after a week filled with negotiated rejections, comes in at €76.5 million (£65.3m). A heavy figure, but one Barcelona have concluded, even with their notorious financial constraints, that Rodri is worth. That latter, the same as it does of every truly elite midfield engine, is a little more old-fashioned.
The 30-year-old’s journey to the cap has been anything but serene. Barcelona’s first offer, around €50 million, was thrown out last week. They increased it, only to have it rejected again. But on Sunday, the two clubs finally signed on the dotted line, and Rodri was allowed to fly. He will sign for the next four years, leaving behind seven trophy-laden – as if the casual observer needed any—seasons at the Etihad. The former Atletico Madrid and Villarreal man, who had entered the final year of his contract, was intensely courted by Real Madrid. He choice, however, was clear. As he emerged from the terminal, he said it best: “Playing for Barcelona is a dream come true for me.”
The quote was the first line of the adjacency. Rodri then confirmed his ambitions in language that should worry every LaLiga rival. “When I was asked about what we would win, I said the Champions League and going for everything that comes our way,” he said, picking his words carefully. “It’s been an intense few days, but I’m glad everything is sorted out. I’m really looking forward to being with my teammates, most of whom I already know from the national team. It’s time.” That last part feels less like a promise than a warning: the Madrid-wary. A World Cup winner from this summer, Rodri is also determined to put an injury-plagued two seasons behind him.
His landing in Barcelona has been underpinned by a rigorous sense of squad alignment. Rodri has identified the club’s established playing style as a factor. And the faces do, in abundance. He arrives into a dressing room where he will join on international teammates: Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsí, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Pedri, and Lamine Yamal. The chemistry will be there, even from day one. One familiar name, however, is missing from the reunion. His close friend Ferran Torres has been sold to PSG for $55 million (€50M), a departure that. That transaction, in part, cleared the financial runway for Barcelona to complete this exact deal. Torres’s exit and Rodri’s arrival are two sides of the same, necessary coin.
Rodri’s final healthy performance for Spain got silverware this summer- a second World Cup for the nation. Now, he’s bringing that culture to Camp Nou. But everything starts with a medical on Tuesday.
