{
  "id": 1368836,
  "title": "Barcelona reach deal with Man City to sign Rodri",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/barcelona-reach-deal-with-man-city-to-sign-rodri",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-16T22:29:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/08/17/barcelona-reach-deal-with-man-city-to-sign-rodri"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Barcelona have secured a deal to sign midfielder Rodri from Manchester City for a fee of approximately €75 million (US$87 million), according to a club source. The 30-year-old Spanish World Cup winner, who has been a key player for City since joining in 2019, is expected to officially complete the transfer in the coming days.\n\nRodri had previously been linked with a move to Real Madrid after Spain's World Cup victory in July, but Barcelona made a concerted effort to recruit the former Atletico Madrid star. Despite struggling with injuries over the past two seasons, Rodri played a crucial role in Spain's success, including winning the 2023 Champions League and four Premier League titles among 12 major trophies under Pep Guardiola.\n\nBarcelona's injury concerns intensified with the impending absence of Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong for several months. This prompted the Catalan club to pursue Rodri, who has been loaned to several other clubs this summer, including Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, and Jesse Bisiwu.\n\nThe Spanish champions previously submitted two unsuccessful bids for Rodri before reaching an agreement with City. Other notable signings Barcelona aim to complete include Joao Cancelo, who is reportedly close to finalizing a loan move from Al Hilal.",
  "summary": "The 30-year-old midfielder will move to the Spanish side for a fee of around €75 million (US$87 million).",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Barcelona reach deal with Man City to sign Rodri",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/barcelona-reach-deal-with-man-city-to-sign-rodri-1369217",
        "published": "2026-08-16T22:29:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Man City accept Barcelona bid for Spain midfielder Rodri",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/man-city-accept-barcelona-bid-for-spain-midfielder-rodri",
        "published": "2026-08-16T22:42:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}