Rodri: Man City dealt huge transfer blow as 'deal agreed' for star midfielder

That is according to Fabrizio Romano, who has given the prospective deal his trademark ‘here we go’ treatment on Sunday night.

That was quickly followed by The Athletic and David Ornstein, who reported that the La Liga champions would pay €76.5million to the Premier League side for the midfielder, with a €60m fixed fee and over €11m in very achievable bonuses.

The Spain international had been heavily linked with a return to his homeland having entered the final year of his contract, and Real Madrid were also thought to be potential suitors for the 30-year-old.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner did not feature for his club in their 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff on Sunday, having been afforded an extended break following his and Spain’s World Cup win earlier this summer.

He did not even make the matchday squad at the Principality Stadium, with new £116million signing Elliot Anderson paired with Mateo Kovacic in Enzo Maresca’s double pivot, and Nico was brought on in the second half.

Now, it seems as though Rodri has played his last game in a City shirt, with Romano reporting that a deal had been agreed between Barca and City to take him back to La Liga, where he rose to prominence at Atletico Madrid.

During his time at the Etihad Stadium, Rodri has made 196 appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals, including the winner in the 2023 Champions League final, which won Pep Guardiola’s men a maiden European crown.

He has been in England since 2019, being crowned the world’s best player in that time, as well as winning the treble in 2023.

The midfielder lifted four Premier League titles, won two FA Cups, and three League Cups.

City are, in Maresca’s words, looking to be “active” in the transfer market in the last few days of the window.