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Atletico Madrid have announced on their website that Manchester City have officially triggered the €70 million release clause to acquire the services of Spanish midfielder Rodri.
The 23-year-old joined Atletico from Villareal for a modest €25 million and enjoyed a fantastic season with the Rojiblancos, making 34 appearances in all competitions.
Rodri's capture comes as a major coup for the Premier League champions as Guardiola and co have been in the market for Fernandinho's long-term heir. After missing out on Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona earlier this year, Manchester City have finally got their man who'll go on to become a mainstay in their midfield for years to come.
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Manchester City are coming on the back of a historic treble-winning season and Rodri's big money signing is conclusive proof that the Premier League champions have no intention of standing still and resting on their laurels.
The Spaniard only joined Atletico in 2018 and having spent a solitary year in the Spanish capital, the lure of being coached by one of the greatest managers of the modern era in Pep Guardiola seemed too big to turned down. Bayern Munich were also rumored to be in the running for his signature but it always seemed likely that he'd prefer to link up with the treble winners.
The Manchester club don't have too many glaring weaknesses and with Rodri's quality in midfield, they're a massive force to be reckoned with domestically as well as in Europe. Despite Guardiola's outstanding record in the league where they've won back to back league titles and eclipsed the previous record of most points tallied in a Premier League season, Manchester City have not been up to the mark in Europe but with the addition of Rodri, European glory will be in their sights.
City also look set to re-sign Spanish full-back Angelino from PSV and Joao Cancelo, who has spent the last year at Juventus, is also on their radar as they look to continue their dominance.
