Paris ¨C Spain¡¯s World Cup-winning captain Rodri arrived in Barcelona on Monday to sign a contract with the La Liga champions as one of the transfer sagas of the summer draws to its conclusion.
¡°I¡¯m very pleased to be here. The last few days have been intense, but I¡¯m glad everything¡¯s sorted. Of course, playing for Barcelona is a dream,¡± the midfielder told journalists waiting for him at the airport.
¡°I can¡¯t wait to be with my teammates, I already know many of them from the national team. It¡¯s time to get down to work and give it our all,¡± the 30-year-old added.
Rodri said his aims with Barcelona would be ¡°the Champions League and whatever else comes our way.¡±
The 2024 Ballon d¡¯Or winner landed in Barcelona the day after Manchester City and his future employers reached an agreement on a transfer fee of around €75 million ($87 million), according to the Catalan press.
A source within Barcelona said Sunday that the deal would be made official ¡°in the coming days.¡±
Rodri has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons but shone as Spain won their second World Cup in North America last month.
After seven trophy-laden years at Manchester City, the former Atletico Madrid and Villarreal player was reported to be close to joining Real Madrid, before finally opting for their arch rivals.
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