Guardiola ‘proposes’ Bellingham swap deal as Man City ‘favourites’ to sign Real Madrid star – report | OneFootball

According to reports, Pep Guardiola is keen for Manchester City to sign England international Jude Bellingham as he has ‘proposed’ a swap deal.

Bellingham returned to action for England on Thursday night and he impressed off the bench as Thomas Tuchel’s side beat Serbia 2-0 in their penultimate World Cup qualifier.

The Real Madrid midfielder has had a stop-start beginning to this season as injuries have impacted him, but he has built momentum in recent weeks as he has impressed for club and country.

Bellingham is a huge asset for Real Madrid and England, with the Spanish giants fending off competition from several Premier League sides to sign him for around £88m in 2023.

Man City were among the clubs interested in signing him and they reportedly remain keen on landing Bellingham, with Guardiola reportedly pushing for his signature.

A report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims Guardiola has ‘proposes a swap deal’ worth 150 million euros (£132m) involving Bellingham and Rodri.

Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has been heavily linked with Real Madrid in recent years as they are known to be admirers of the Spain international.

Rodri missed most of last season with an ACL injury, with the report claiming Guardiola feels the time is right to replace him as he is ‘obsessed’ with Bellingham.

It is also noted that Guardiola is ‘confident’ that Nico Gonzalez’s recent improvement could ‘facilitate’ Rodri’s exit, but Real Madrid are unsurprisingly keen to keep Bellingham.

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So, Man City may miss out on Bellingham, but another report from Fichajes says they are the ‘favourites’ to sign Real Madrid winger Rodrygo next year.

Rodrygo remains down the pecking order at Real Madrid and Man City are among the Premier League sides in the race to sign him.

It is also noted that a deal in January or the summer could be worth around 60 million euros (£51m).

The report claims: ‘Pep Guardiola’s club leads the race for Rodrygo, thanks to its financial strength and a sporting project that could be attractive to the Brazilian, putting it ahead of other suitors.’