Manchester City have just lost four games in a row for the first time in the Pep Guardiola era and it seems pretty clear something needs to change as quickly as possible. We all knew Rodri was important to this Man City side, but the impact his absence through injury has had will have taken even the Spanish midfielder’s biggest admirers by surprise. Sources have now informed CaughtOffside that City are ready to enter the market for a major midfield signing to replace Rodri this January, with Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde lined up by the Premier League champions. City’s latest defeat to Brighton has seen them fall five points behind league leaders Liverpool, so it’s perhaps not too surprising that the club are now prepared to pay big to try to turn their season around. Real Madrid won’t want to let Valverde go, but CaughtOffside understands City could try offering as much as €70m for the Uruguay international this January. MAJOR Real Madrid deal in the works! Click here to find out more! Valverde, however, has a release clause of €1bn, so it could take a lot more than €70m to convince the Spanish giants to let such an important player go. The 26-year-old remains a key part of Carlo Ancelotti’s side, and given that Los Blancos are having a challenging season themselves, it seems highly unlikely they’d be willing to sell anyone as important as this in the middle of the season. City may need to look elsewhere for Rodri replacements, but it does seem like they’re going to have to find someone, as the 28-year-old, who recently won the prestigious Ballon d’Or prize, is expected to miss the rest of the season. Liverpool might not be able to maintain their fast start under Arne Slot, but for now they have a pretty comfortable lead over City, and so that could require urgent action at the Etihad Stadium. It’s unlikely there’ll be anyone out there who can fully replace what Rodri brings to Guardiola’s side, but City need someone of that ilk to come in or else they’re surely going to be out of the title race completely before too long.
Manchester City gubi četiri utakmice zaredom prvi put u eri Pep Guardiole
Manchester City su upravo izgubili četiri utakmice zaredom prvi put u eri Pep Guardiole i čini se prilično jasno da nešto mora što prije da se promijeni. Svi smo znali da je Rodri važan za ovu ekipu Man City-a, ali utjecaj njegovog izostanka zbog povrede će zasigurno iznenaditi i najveće obožavatelje ovog španskog veznjaka. Izvori su sada obavijestili CaughtOffside da je City spreman ući na tržište kako bi doveli veliko pojačanje za sredinu terena koje će zamijeniti Rodrija ovog januara, a kao mogući kandidat se spominje Federico Valverde iz Real Madrida. Posljednji poraz City-ja od Brightona ih je udaljio pet bodova iza lidera Liverpoola, pa možda i nije iznenađujuće što je klub sada spreman platiti veliki novac kako bi pokušali okrenuti sezonu oko. Real Madrid neće želeti pustiti Valverdea, ali CaughtOffside saznaje da bi City mogao ponuditi čak do €70m za ovog urugvajskog internacionalca ovog januara. Valverde, međutim, ima otkupnu klauzulu od €1 milijardu, pa će možda biti potrebno mnogo više od €70m ubediti španske gigante da puste tako važnog igrača. 26-godišnji Valverde i dalje ostaje ključan dio ekipe Carla Ancelottija, i imajući u vidu da i Los Blancos imaju izazovnu sezonu, čini se vrlo malo verovatnim da bi bili voljni prodati bilo koga toliko važnog u toku sezone. City bi mogao morati tražiti drugačije zamjene za Rodrija, ali izgleda da će morati pronaći nekoga, s obzirom da se očekuje da će 28-godišnji vezista, koji je nedavno osvojio prestižnu nagradu Ballon d'Or, propustiti preostali dio sezone. Liverpool možda neće moći održati svoj brzi start pod vodstvom Arne Slota, ali trenutno imaju prilično udobnu prednost nad City-em, što bi moglo zahtijevati hitne akcije na stadionu Etihad. Malo je verovatno da će biti neko ko može potpuno zamijeniti ono što Rodri donosi Guardiolinoj ekipi, ali City mora pronaći nekoga takvog ili će sigurno biti izvan trke za titulu prije nego što se i okrenu.
