Manchester City to rival European giants for Spain U21 star – Hugo Viana mapping January 2026 transfer plans | OneFootball

Manchester City could rival Juventus and Real Madrid for the signing of a Spanish midfielder who has earned comparisons to Pedri in his homeland.

Although the Cityzens’ squad looks to be in a relatively good place at the moment – only Arsenal have picked up more points than them in the last five Premier League games – the key to long-term success is undoubtedly consistently excellent recruitment.

In midfield, Bernardo Silva’s status at the Etihad Stadium is under question as the Manchester City captain progresses deeper into the final year of his contract amid strong interest from Benfica and no ongoing negotiations over a new deal.

Mateo Kovacic’s presence in Manchester next season looks increasingly unlikely given his injury woes since the summer. Additionally, Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly, who both came into the first-team as midfielders, have thrived as full-backs in 2025.

Therefore, Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana and co have been keeping tabs on Elche’s Rodrigo Mendoza, who could strengthen the midfield in the long run, as reported by Tuttosport and relayed by Football Italia.

The 20-year-old primarily plays in central midfield but has also been used in more attacking roles and as a defensive midfielder on occasion. The report states that Manchester City will have to rival Juventus and Real Madrid for the 20-year-old, who has a relatively moderate release clause of €20 million.

The Murcian came through Elche’s academy, making his debut for the first-team in the 2022-23 Copa Del Rey campaign. Elche were relegated at the end of that season, which provided an opportunity for Mendoza to break into the senior ranks in the following year – wherein the midfielder made 26 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice for the Spanish club.

The following season was fairly stagnant, with the youngster playing a similar number of minutes and registering a similar amount of goal contributions to his previous campaign. One big difference was that Elche got promoted, allowing Mendoza the opportunity to show his talent in the Spanish top-flight this season.

Despite playing at a higher level than before, the Spain U21 international has looked fairly comfortable in La Liga. He ranks third amongst Elche’s first-team for successful dribbles and possession won in the final third per 90 minutes.

His progress this season is especially impressive given that he missed a month of domestic action whilst representing Spain at the U20 FIFA World Cup between September and October, further bolstering his CV amid rising interest from clubs across Europe.

It will be interesting to see if Manchester City – who are not expected to be nearly as active in the 2026 January window as the Blues were in the summer – make their move for Mendoza mid-season as they continue to monitor his displays in the Spanish top-flight.

The City Football Group could also play a role in the transfer, with Girona currently struggling in the Spanish top-tier. Perhaps the 20-year-old could be signed in January and loaned out to the Catalonia-based outfit to reinforce their midfield in the second half of the season.