Manchester City considering two names as potential Rodri replacements in January transfer window | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are reportedly considering two names from within Europe as potential Rodri replacements during the upcoming January transfer window.

Pep Guardiola and his staff are experiencing significant difficulties in sourcing necessary replacements for Rodri in the current roster of players after the Spaniard was ruled out for the remainder of the season with anterior cruciate ligament damage and subsequent surgery.

Whilst Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan have been the go-to options for the role thus far, neither player has lit the world alight in the position, nor have they given supporters belief that the season can depend on them in the defensive midfield ranks.

And it appears as though Manchester City themselves may agree, with the search reportedly underway to source a potential arrival into the defensive midfield position during the upcoming January transfer window.

That is according to the information of French newspaper L’Equipe, as translated and relayed by Get Football, who claim that City are currently considering two players who could potentially arrive in January to compensate for the long-term absence of Rodri this season.

It is claimed that one candidate is Torino and Italy international midfielder Samuele Ricci, with the 23-year-old currently under contract in Serie A until 2026, as well as Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.

The latter’s agreement with the La Liga side currently runs until the summer of 2027, and actually came on in the place of Rodri when the Manchester City midfielder suffered a first-half injury in the European Championships final against England in Berlin during the summer.

However, Manchester City will be well-aware that there is a seriously challenging run of fixtures still to come between now and the January market opening for another year, with Pep Guardiola’s side currently on a difficult run of results.

Having originally started the season in unbeaten form, City are currently on a run of three defeats in a row across competitions, starting with an exit from the Carabao Cup at the fourth round stage via a 2-1 scoreline.

The contest in North London was followed up by defeat via the same scoreline, this time on the south coast and Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, inflicting City’s first defeat of the Premier League campaign.

And matters have been made even worse most recently, as City’s unbeaten start to their UEFA Champions League challenge was brought to an end at the hands of Sporting CP, with Ruben Amorim’s side winning 4-1 on Tuesday night.