Manchester City eager to sign up Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodri

Bengaluru, April 4: Manchester City are weighing up a move for Rodri after Pep Guardiola identified the Atlético Madrid midfielder as one of the potential replacements for Fernandinho, according to reports.

City so far have grown frustrated in their attempts to replace Fernandinho, with the Brazilian midfielder turning 34 at the end of the season.

In the Summer, Guardiola targeted both Jorginho and Fred but they joined rival sides Chelsea and Manchester United respectively while in January Barcelona pipped them to Ajax youngster Frenkie de Jong.

In the coming transfer window, now their number 1 priority is again believed to be a defensive midfielder and Rodi has emerged as one of the probable options for the defending Premier League champions.

The 22-year-old only joined Atleti from Villarreal in a deal worth an initial €20m plus a further €5m in add-ons last Summer and Guardiola reportedly believes the 22-year-old has the perfect skills to replace the Brazilian in the middle of the pitch.

The Spanish international has been widely tipped to be the successor of Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets and City boss Pep Guardiola is also said to see him in this mould.

The City boss is also rumoured to be interested in his teammate Saul Niguez however with the 24-year-old having a massive £130m buy-out clause in Madrid it is understood that he has shifted his attention towards the 22-year-old.

Rodri's contract at Atleti runs through until 2023 however he has a buyout clause of £59.8m which is comparatively cheaper in the current market.

Atletico need to raise funds to strengthen and clear some wage bills in the summer but they would be unwilling to let go of such budding talent. Although, they would be powerless to prevent City from getting their man if they trigger the release clause in his contract.

Rodri has grown bit by bit to establish himself as one of the finest defensive midfielders in La Liga this season and his rise to prominence also has given him five international caps for Spain inside the past 12 months.