One of the biggest deals of the current transfer window in European football has been completed. Spanish international and 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri has officially become a new Barcelona player. After lengthy and exhausting negotiations, an agreement was reached with Manchester City. The Catalan club has completed an operation worth a staggering 210 million euros in total! Barcelona have handed the Spanish star a four-year contract under which he will earn 34 million euros gross per year, or around 15 million euros net, meaning a total of 136 million euros in wages over the four years. As for the transfer fee itself, Barca had to submit three official offers before the Citizens finally agreed to sell, allowing the Catalans to bring the price down to 60 million euros fixed, with a further 11 million euros in variables and bonuses depending on trophies won, according to Mundo Deportivo.The master of space and time touches down in Barcelona ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/BESJxrGg3w— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 18, 2026 Rodri will wear number 16, the same number he wears for Spain and previously wore at Manchester City. The number became available after Fermín Lopez gave it up and switched to Ferran Torres' number 7. The arrival of the global superstar sparked complete euphoria on the streets of Barcelona. Before his presentation, Rodri had lunch with president Joan Laporta and other club officials at the famous Botafumeiro restaurant, and a sea of supporters was waiting for him when he emerged. The Spanish midfielder stopped to sign autographs, forcing local police to close one lane of traffic because of the enormous crowd.رودري😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/Lbi8vPt6Un— FCB World (@Forca_Fcb) August 18, 2026 Rodri will appear in front of the fans at Camp Nou tomorrow, with 35,000 tickets already sold for the Joan Gamper Trophy match. However, his playing time is expected to be largely symbolic, given that he has been resting after his international commitments and used the break to undergo a minor surgical procedure on his back. The fans are celebrating, and Barcelona have gained a new leader in the heart of midfield. Barcelona released an official video announcing Rodri's arrival with the headline: “The master of time and space has arrived in Barcelona.”City reject Barca's offer for RodriThe Spanish midfielder will be a huge addition to Hansi Flick's team, particularly following the serious injury suffered by Frenkie de Jong, who is expected to be sidelined for several months. He already knows most of the first-team players (Cubarsí, Pedri, Gavi, Olmo, Fermín, Yamal…) from the national team, so he should not need much time to settle in with his new teammates or adapt to their style of play. Before Rodri, Barcelona had signed left winger Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for 70 million euros plus bonuses, as well as right winger Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund for 22 million euros.##NAJAVA_MECA_9902119##
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