Manchester City
Premier League • England
Man City want £83m-rated Rodri replacement who’s been offered to Man Utd in stunning move
Manchester City are reportedly keen on signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios, who they’ve been tracking since his youth, after he was offered to rivals Manchester United.
City have had to deal without Ballon d’Or winning holding-midfielder Rodri in their side since September, when he tore his ACL. It’s likely he’s going to miss the rest of the season with that injury.
As a result, City have been looking for midfielders to potentially sign in January, in order to ensure they’re not hurt by the Spaniard’s loss.
El Nacional reiterates recent reports that Martin Zubimendi is high on their radar.
The Spanish outlet also reports that Atletico Madrid midfielder Barrios is a player Pep Guardiola is keeping his eye on, and has been since he was a youth player.
It’s believed the manager hopes he can convince the 21-year-old to follow in the footsteps of Rodri, who moved from Atletico to City.
But it’s believed City are not willing to pay the €100million (£83m/$105m) the Spanish outlet want for Barrios – who is more expensive than Zubimendi – and they will look to reach a lower agreement for him.
Man Utd offered Barrios
It seems City could be in a fight with local rivals United over the signing of Barrios.
It was recently reported the Red Devils were weighing up a surprise approach from Atletico in which they would receive Barrios and €40m (£33m/$42.2m) to send Alejandro Garnacho in the other direction.
However, TEAMtalk understands United will not let their star winger go, and the only club he’d like to leave for is Atletico’s own rivals, Real Madrid.
Whether or not that means Barrios will be signed by City remains to be seen, with the route to Zubimendi, in terms of transfer fee at least, easier as a result of his €60million (£50m/$63.5m) release clause.
Man City round-up: Guardiola plots shock signing
Months after leaving Liverpool, Sepp van den Berg is on the radar of City, with Guardiola reportedly asking the club to sign the centre-back from Brentforf.
The Citizens are also keen on the signing of AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, amid uncertainty over the future of current stopper Ederson.
But they could see £100million man Jack Grealish leave, with Tottenham on the hunt years after they came close to signing the star from his previous club Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, in the event that Guardiola leaves his post, it’s not believed former proteges Enzo Maresca or Mikel Arteta have the top-level experience desired to take his place.
Who is Barrios?
Born in Spain’s capital in 2003, Barrios spent six years in the Real Madrid academy before moving to Atletico’s youth system in 2017 for a further five years of development.
During the 2021-22 season, Barrios was heavily involved as Atleti’s under-19s reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League. For example, in one game, he scored a brace and provided an assist against Real Madrid.
For the following campaign, he was promoted to Atleti’s reserve team – but not long later, he would be promoted again to the first team. Indeed, he made his LaLiga debut on October 29, 2022 – just 56 days after his Segunda Division debut for the B team.
Over that winter, the midfielder scored in the second and third rounds of the Copa del Rey and extended his contract, representing his permanent installation into the first team.
After helping Spain’s U23s win the men’s Olympic football tournament in 2024, Barrios was also awarded the number eight shirt by his club, on the back of a season in which he played 35 times in all competitions.
Barrios now has 50 LaLiga appearances to his name, although he is yet to score in the Spanish top tier. That said, he has been playing in a deeper role, though he is a reliable carrier of the ball and not just your typical, Diego Simeone-approved dogged midfielder.
But Barrios is learning plenty from the senior players around him, citing club captain Koke as his “role model both on and off the field.” All he is taking in will equip him for a solid career as a well-rounded midfield talent.