Rodri replacement? Man City plot £52m bid for sensational Real Madrid signing – report

Manchester City have been tipped to submit a €60million (£52m) offer for Real Madrid star Eduardo Camavinga, as TEAMtalk analyses Rodri’s chances of heading in the opposite direction and whether he can return to his best form.

Rodri won the Ballon d’Or last year after a phenomenal 2023-24 season in which he helped Manchester City win their fourth consecutive Premier League title, the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, while also triumphing in the Euros with Spain.

Rodri was integral for both club and country, losing just one match all season.

The midfielder beat Vinicius Junior to the award, with both the Brazilian and Real Madrid boycotting the event ever since.

Rodri has sadly not been able to build on his Ballon d’Or success, as he missed almost the entirety of last season due to an ACL injury.

Rodri has since had two comebacks, in the Club World Cup and Premier League, though injury issues continue to plague him.

City seem to be preparing for life without the 29-year-old, with Fichajes reporting that Real Madrid’s Camavinga has been identified as a top-class replacement.

Madrid are warming to the idea of selling Camavinga in the summer and this has put City on red alert.

Pep Guardiola’s side aim to get the jump on other clubs by launching a €60m bid for the France star.

City ‘consider this a reasonable price to secure his services’, despite Madrid valuing him at closer to €80m (£69m).

Camavinga is struggling for starts under Xabi Alonso and City believe he could reach his full potential by playing regularly under Guardiola instead.

The deal would be a hugely exciting one for City fans as Camavinga is generally viewed as one of the best young midfielders in the world.

Nico Gonzalez is already in the City squad and is seen as an understudy to Rodri, having joined in the winter transfer window. But Nico is not expected to hit the same heights as Rodri and City feel they can sign a better replacement, with Camavinga emerging as a top option.

The 22-year-old is a slightly different profile to Rodri, having often played as a box-to-box midfielder, though he has been used as a No 6 previously and should be able to adapt to that role.

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Could Rodri be on the decline?

Madrid have been heavily linked with Rodri and were thought to be plotting a move for him prior to his ACL injury.

TEAMtalk’s Dean Jones confirmed recently that Madrid are not planning to bid for Rodri now, despite reports talking up a potential €150m (£130m) proposal.

While players have gotten back to their best after ACL injuries in the past – most notably Virgil van Dijk – the trend for Rodri is certainly very worrying.

He made his first comeback at the Club World Cup but felt pain in his knee during the surprise last-16 defeat to Al-Hilal and asked to be substituted.

Rodri has made seven appearances across the Premier League and Champions League this season but pulled up with a hamstring injury 21 minutes into the victory over Brentford on Sunday.

While the issue is not thought to be severe, it shows that a long period on the sidelines is having a damaging affect on Rodri’s fitness.

As Rodri is 29, City will be seriously concerned that he may never get back to the stunning heights he reached in 2023-24.

Guardiola still trusts that the player can get back to his best later this campaign, but City’s interest in Camavinga demonstrates they are making contingency plans already.

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