Man City eye amazing £85m Rodri replacement and have another transfer option in mind
Manchester City are ready to find a new player to replace Rodri and are working hard to sign their top choice. Enzo Maresca has taken over as City’s head coach after Pep Guardiola ended his 10-year run last summer.
The first signing under Maresca was Elliot Anderson, who joined from Nottingham Forest in a record-breaking £116 million deal in early July. Anderson, who had his medical while playing for England at the World Cup, was soon joined at the Etihad Stadium by Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles and 16-year-old winger Jeremy Monga from Leicester.
Charles, a former City academy player, might open the door for James Trafford to leave the club, while Monga will likely need to be patient as he tries to earn a spot in the first team. Now, City’s next target seems to be a midfielder. Reports say they are stepping up their efforts to sign Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Bouaddi, 18, came through Lille’s youth system and has been one of the surprise stars of the World Cup with Morocco, after switching his international loyalty from France just weeks before the tournament. He helped Morocco reach the quarter-finals, where they lost 2-0 to France.
According to The Athletic, other Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Manchester United, are interested in Bouaddi, but City could offer him a chance to play in the first team right away. Interestingly, Paris Saint-Germain, the current Champions League winners, aren’t looking to add Bouaddi to their group of home-grown players now, which could increase City’s chances.
One challenge is the price, as Lille may want around €100 million (about £85 million) for their young star. Signing Bouaddi would help ease concerns about Rodri’s future, since his contract ends next summer and he has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid.
TEAMtalk reports that Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, sees Rodri as a player who can be an “on-pitch coach,” similar to the club’s past midfield stars like Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos. Rodri is viewed as someone who can control games and lead the team, which is especially important now that Jose Mourinho is set to become manager.
Previously, it was reported that Mourinho made several demands before agreeing to return to Real Madrid, including having more control over the locker room.
TEAMtalk also says that City’s sporting director Hugo Viana and coach Maresca plan to talk with Rodri in August, after he returns from the World Cup with Spain, to decide what his future at the club will be, both in the short and long term.