‘Man City accelerate huge overhaul amid astronomical Rodri fee claim’
Pep Guardiola will be in no mood to sell Rodri this summer as Manchester City continue to rebuild their team around him.
Rodri has been confined to the sidelines since his knee ligament injury against Arsenal last September, and Man City’s form without him has been erratic to say the least throughout a season to forget.
City shelled out £50million for Porto’s Nico Gonzalez in the January transfer window in an effort to replicate Rodri’s presence in midfield at the Etihad, and his Spanish compatriot has earned plaudits.
Football Insider revealed on 25 April that City now plan to offer Rodri a new contract and wade off interest from Real Madrid, despite plans to overhaul further in midfield with multiple summer signings.
Now, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has told Football Insider that there is no way Man City sanction a deal for the Ballon D’Or holder to leave this summer, unless the fee paid by any club interested is “astronomical”.
Rodri still the lynchpin for new-look Man City side
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider in February that City plan to make at least five “top-class” signings this summer, with midfield the top priority given Kevin De Bruyne’s exit.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Robinson said that while City’s squad could look wildly different to its current composition next season, they’re far more likely to extend Rodri‘s contract beyond 2027 than sanction a move away.
“I really can’t see [Rodri leaving]; there is going to be an overhaul at Manchester City – I think there has already been one”, Robinson told Football Insider.
“You look at the players that have come in in the January window, the average age of that Manchester City squad is on the right side of 25 now.
“The young players coming in and the way that [Guardiola] has rejuvenated that squad mid-season – they’re reaping the rewards now already, so that squad’s only going to get better.
“You can’t afford to leave Rodri out of that equation – he’s that important for Manchester City. They’ve missed him hugely
“Contracted till 2027, the Ballon d’Or winner, allegedly the best player in Europe – there’s absolutely no reason why Manchester City would want to trade… It would have to be an astronomical fee.”
“As soon as he’s fit and back playing I wouldn’t be surprised if the new deal talks start – the last thing they need to be is in a Virgil van Dijk or Mo Salah situation.”
Rodri transfer will only add to Man City’s summer to-do list
The additions of Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov have already begun to reshape the makeup of City’s squad ahead of the summer, and those changes will only accelerate.
De Bruyne’s alread-confirmed departure from the Etihad Stadium opens up a huge hole which Guardiola will need to prioritise, and the City boss certainly won’t be helped by speculation over Rodri’s future.
With Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic likely to follow De Bruyne out of the door, James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly finally integrated into the side, City can prevent the prospect of further midfield churn and tie Rodri down for the long-term.