Manchester City midfielder Rodri is the subject of interest from Barcelona, with the Spanish giants reportedly willing to pay £80m for him this summer.
Pep Guardiola is faced with the prospect of rebuilding his midfield for next season, with Ilkay Gundogan set to depart, along with this latest revelation.
It could prove to be a big challenge to replace Rodri, who has been a key player for the Cityzens for the past few years.
As well as Gundogan and Rodri, West Ham United are also interested in signing Kalvin Phillips at the end of the season, so Guardiola will be left needing three new midfield recruits.
Since joining City in 2019, Rodri has chalked up 185 appearances under Guardiola, scoring 15 goals and making 14 assists in total.
The Spain international has played a key role in helping his team to lift two Premier League titles, two League Cups, and an FA Community Shield, so there is no doubting his importance.
However, it is believed that he is keen to return to his home country, Spain, so Barcelona would likely be an ideal move for him.
According to Football Insider, the Catalans are willing to stump up a huge £80m fee for the midfielder, as Xavi looks to reassert their dominance at the top of LaLiga.
City can bring in ideal Rodri replacement in Declan Rice
While Rodri would undoubtedly be a big loss to the Premier League champions, they have already registered an interest in his ideal replacement: West Ham’s Declan Rice.
As noted by TEAMtalk, City are pushing very hard to seal a deal for the England international, whose current deal at the London Stadium is set to expire in June 2024.
Rice allegedly has no intention of signing a contract extension, meaning this summer will represent the last chance for the Hammers to recoup a sizeable transfer fee.
Comparing the stats of Rodri and Rice, we can see key similarities in their performances this season, with both operating from defensive midfield.
This season, Rodri has averaged 2.2 successful tackles per game, which is exactly the same as Rice. The Hammers captain is superior when it comes to interceptions, though, making 1.6 per match compared to Rodri’s 1.2.
On the other hand, the Spaniard is statistically better in terms of his passing, with a pass success rate of 91.2%. Rice’s is still impressive though, scoring 89.1%.
It’s also worth noting that Rice is only 24, compared to Rodri, who is 26, so the England international would be a better long-term investment for Guardiola.
It is believed that a fee in the region of £100m would be required for West Ham to sell their star man.
Therefore, if City do sell Rodri to Barcelona for £80m, they would only need to spend another £20m on top of that to replace him, which would represent a great bit of business.
Man City fighting fires ahead of Champions League test
MANCHESTER, Feb 21 — Manchester City’s quest to finally conquer Europe resumes on Wednesday when Pep Guardiola’s men travel to RB Leipzig, but all is not well for the English champions on or off the field.
City appeared to have laid down a marker in the Premier League title race by beating leaders Arsenal 3-1 away last week, only to then throw away two points by conceding late to draw 1-1 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
They are also playing under a cloud after being charged with more than 100 breaches of financial rules by the Premier League, dating back to the 2009/10 season.
Defender Kyle Walker described City’s sloppiness in relinquishing top spot in the Premier League at the weekend as “unacceptable”.
“Sometimes it’s football and sometimes it’s emotion,” he said. “Every game should be treated the same — like a cup final.”
A two-point deficit at the top of the table could turn into five should Arsenal win their game in hand against struggling Everton.
A lack of consistency in City’s performances is troubling Guardiola ahead of his side’s return to action in the competition they most crave.
City have never won the Champions League, while Guardiola, who won the trophy twice as manager of Barcelona, has not done so since 2011, his penultimate season at the Camp Nou.
The signing of Erling Haaland was expected to be the final piece in solving City’s puzzle in Europe.
The Norwegian has delivered the goals expected of him, with 32 in all competitions. Yet Haaland’s arrival is one of the factors used to explain a dip in City’s collective standards this season.
The defending champions have dropped 20 points already in 24 games — compared with 21 points in the whole of the 2021/22 campaign.
‘Going after it’
Despite Haaland’s haul, City had scored more goals as a team at this stage last season.
Defensively they also look more exposed — an issue not helped by Guardiola’s willingness to let Joao Cancelo join Bayern Munich on loan, leaving him without a natural left-back.
Nathan Ake, Aymeric Laporte, Rico Lewis and even creative midfielder Bernardo Silva have been shunted out to do a job on the left side of defence in the past two weeks alone.
Guardiola said he was heartened by City’s display at Forest despite a lack of killer instinct that cost them two points.
However, he has not been slow to call out his players since the World Cup break for a lack of hunger and desire to remain on top in England, which is an uncharacteristic approach for the former Barca and Bayern Munich coach.
Finding such motivation for the Champions League should not be difficult. Third-choice goalkeeper Scott Carson is the only member of Guardiola’s squad to have won the competition previously, when he was at Liverpool.
“We’re coming after it,” goalkeeper Ederson said of City’s quest to win the Champions League.
“I think we’re a group of great quality and that shows how much the club has developed over the last five or six years, with Premier League titles, Carabao (League) Cups, FA Cups, Community Shields.
“So this title is what the club needs. It’s what we athletes need and it’s what Guardiola needs here at the club, too. This year, we’re going to try. We’re going after it.”
There could also be the extra incentive of not knowing for sure when City might get another chance to play in the Champions League due to the score of charges on financial breaches earlier this month.
Should City be found guilty, a heavy points penalty or even relegation could be on the cards for a club that has played in Europe’s elite competition for 12 straight seasons. — AFP
Source: teamtalk.com; malaymail.com
