Maresca says Man City will 'try to find the new Rodri'

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has said the club will try to find a replacement for Rodri after the Spain international departed this week to join La Liga champions Barcelona.

Rodri spent seven seasons at the Etihad Stadium, developing into one of the world's top midfielders. During his time at City he won the 2024 Ballon d'Or, four Premier League titles, and scored the only goal in the 2023 Champions League final. The 30-year-old also captained Spain to World Cup glory over the summer. He has now signed a four-year deal at Barcelona, with the clubs agreeing a fee of around £65m.

Maresca noted that before joining City, Rodri had not yet won the Ballon d'Or, the Champions League or the Club World Cup, achieving all of those honours during his time at the club. Rodri made close to 300 appearances for City. He was entering the final year of his contract, and although City offered him an extension, negotiations did not lead to an agreement.

The manager pointed to past examples of key departures being followed by strong replacements, citing David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho, who were succeeded by Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Rodri himself respectively. He described such transitions as a normal part of football.

Busy transfer window

City are expected to remain active for the rest of the transfer window, with both arrivals and departures likely. The club has already signed England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a club-record £115m. Talks continue over Lille's Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, while City are also said to retain interest in Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister. Meanwhile, Tottenham have agreed a £75m fee for Brazilian winger Savinho and are in talks to sign City's Omar Marmoush.

Maresca said City's situation is similar to most other clubs at this stage of the window, with roughly ten days remaining before it closes.