Manchester City could deal Liverpool double title race blow as '£51m deal' eyed - after Rodri injury
Liverpool transfer news: The injury news could see City act in the market to protect their season.
Liverpool’s talent identification could be justified as Manchester City could move for one of their midfield targets in January.
In the wake of the serious injury suffered by midfielder Rodri - a key centrepiece to their side - they could look to replace him with a fresh addition in January as they don’t have a natural replacement for him in their squad. Pep Guardiola revealed he will be out for a ‘long, long time’ and that he is ‘irreplaceable’.
“Rodri is irreplaceable. But in football it happens and my duty is to find a solution to be competitive and continue to be a problem for our opponents. I will find a solution. We will do it.”
Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan and Rico Lewis have been tasked with replacing his presence but none can mirror his influence - not many can. His importance to the side was made clear when statistics revealed that they lost three of the four games he missed last season. There’s also a higher chance of losing when he’s not in the side; in the 21 games he’s missed since joining the chances of losing are 22% higher.
That brings us on to potential replacements. It is a position that is hugely difficult to get right and is a position that has seen teams spend huge money. Declan Rice cost £105m, Chelsea paid £115m for Moises Caicedo and Real Madrid paid 100m Euros for Aurelien Tchouameni and top players in this role aren’t cheap. Liverpool nearly strengthened with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi in the summer for £51m but converted Ryan Gravenberch into that role and his form would certainly warrant a price tag higher than what Zubimendi would have cost.
According to TeamTalk, City are eyeing up a January move for Zubimendi as well as Atalanta midfielder Ederson. The latter was also a target for the Reds as reports in the back end of last season suggested he could be a cheaper option after producing his best-ever professional campaign. Also on the list is Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton and Inter Milan’s Nicolò Barella - meaning all four have been on Liverpool’s radar.
As always, Liverpool going up against teams with more financial power (Real Madrid, City and Chelsea) have often been failed pursuits. If City want a player, they get that player and it hasn’t been the same for Liverpool. Arne Slot’s side will fancy themselves for a title charge after their start to the season and Rodri’s absence could weaken Guardiola’s side giving them a better chance of bridging the gap.
However, a January move for any one of those midfielders could deliver a double blow for Liverpool. With just one move, they would be stronger as a whole and could force their way to the title with a signing such as that and take one future addition away from them if any of them do go ahead.