**Arsenal have been handed another significant Premier League title boost after Manchester City accepted a £65.4million bid from Barcelona for Rodri.**
The Spain international is now closing in on a return to his homeland after entering the final year of his Manchester City contract.
Barcelona have agreed a deal worth around £65.4m for the 30-year-old, while Rodri is understood to have agreed terms on a four-year contract at the Camp Nou.
For Arsenal, the timing could hardly be more intriguing.
Mikel Arteta’s side [demolished Manchester City 3-0 in Sunday’s Community Shield](https://readarsenal.com/2026/08/16/arsenal-3-0-man-city-gunners-lift-community-shield-in-statement-win/), with City unable to call upon Rodri as he continued his recovery from back surgery.
Now one of Arsenal’s biggest title rivals look set to lose him permanently.
Rodri has been one of the defining players of City’s recent dominance.
He has made almost 300 appearances for the club since arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2019, helping them win four Premier League titles and the Champions League before claiming the Ballon d’Or in 2024.
His departure would therefore remove another major piece of the side Arsenal have spent several seasons battling at the top of the Premier League.
City are already adapting to life without Pep Guardiola, with Enzo Maresca now rebuilding the midfield around a different structure.
They have invested heavily in that area, but replacing Rodri’s control, positioning and experience is a substantial task. The Guardian reports City have already moved for new midfield options as they prepare for his departure.
Arsenal have the opposite situation.
Arteta is entering another campaign with the core of his title-winning squad intact, while Bruno Guimaraes has added another elite midfield option alongside Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard.
Sunday offered the first glimpse of that contrast.
[Arsenal’s Kai Havertz helped punish City in Cardiff](https://readarsenal.com/2026/08/16/watch-kai-havertz-doubles-arsenal-lead-as-tzolis-torments-man-city/) as the champions ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.
One result will not decide the title race, and City still have time to strengthen before the window closes.
But Arsenal have already beaten them convincingly without Rodri on the pitch.
If Barcelona now remove him from the equation altogether, Arteta may have just been handed another major advantage before the Premier League campaign has even begun.