Pep Guardiola hints Man City are going to make Liverpool’s worst fears come true with transfer
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed he has spoken to Txiki Begiristain over a move to sign a midfielder in January after Rodri was ruled out for the rest of the season.
The Spanish midfielder suffered an ACL injury against Arsenal in City's 2-2 draw with the Gunners at the Etihad last weekend. Rodri underwent surgery on Friday morning and has now been confirmed to be out for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign.
Undoubtedly the best holding midfielder in the world, losing Rodri is a bitter blow to City, who are looking to win a fifth successive Premier League title this season. However, they will now have to do without the 28-year-old who was talking about players going on strike due to having to play too many games just days before his ACL injury.
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Speaking at his Friday press conference ahead of their trip to St James' Park on Saturday, Guardiola said: "Unfortunately Rodri got the worst outcome. He got surgery this morning, ACL and some meniscus. This season is over for Rodri. Next season, he will be here."
City do boast plenty of options in their squad, with the most obvious one likely to see Mateo Kovacic slot into Rodri's place in midfield. However, while an excellent player, Kovacic is not Rodri - who is arguably City's most important player. And when asked at his presser about a potential signing in January to mitigate the loss of the Spanish midfielder, Guardiola confirmed he has spoken to City's sporting director, Txiki Begiristain.
"We will see," said Guardiola. We talked today with Txiki, we will see what's going on. We don't have to decide tomorrow, right? We have time to see the potential problems we will have and after we will see."
Of course, the nightmare scenario for Liverpool fans would be for City to take a look at Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, a player Begiristain will know all too well. The City sporting director began his career with La Real, going on to make over 200 appearances for the Basque side before moving to Barcelona in 1988.
During the European Championships this past summer, it was Zubimendi, who replaced Rodri during the final in Berlin when the City ace went off at half-time, with the former producing a sublime performance off the bench to help Spain beat England 2-1.
Liverpool identified Zubimendi as their top transfer priority during the summer transfer window, and looked close to landing the 25-year-old, only for him to reject them and opt to stay in the Basque country. However, with Real Sociedad having only won one of their opening seven games in La Liga, the Spanish midfielder could be open to a January move should things at the Anoeta not improve.
Money is not an issue for City, and if they want to sign Zubimendi, they will have no issue in paying his $65m (£51m/€60m) release fee clause. However, they would then have to convince the Spaniard on a move to the Etihad, which could be difficult considering he rejected a move to Anfield, and is also said to have turned down moves in the past to Arsenal as well.
Liverpool.com says: "It would be Liverpool's worst nightmare if City were to enter the January transfer window keen on landing Zubimendi, a player they believed would be their long-term answer at the no.6 position.
"While the Reds look to have fully converted Ryan Gravenberch into a pivot, it still remains to be seen whether the Dutchman can play that position in the biggest of games, something Zubimendi did with ease against England in the summer."