Overview
- Rodri completed his move to Barcelona on Tuesday, ending a seven-year spell at Manchester City in which he helped win multiple Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League and claimed the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
- Enzo Maresca said he will 'try to find a new Rodri' and expressed confidence in City’s recruitment record while warning that the squad picture will not be settled until the transfer window closes.
- City’s only major arrival so far this summer is Elliot Anderson, with the club pursuing late-window midfield targets such as Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi while negotiating sales to free funds.
- Maresca confirmed three Academy players — Kaden Braithwaite, Floyd Samba and Ryan McAidoo — will stay with the first team as he trims the senior squad toward a core group of roughly 20 players.
- The club points to a history of replacing stars as a model for this transition, and the most immediate outcomes to watch are late transfers, outgoing sales that fund buys, and how the midfield’s leadership and shape are redefined.