Revealed: Man City can spend big on Rodri replacement after £80m deal completed

Man City have a “huge” transfer kitty to spend on a potential Rodri replacement after his injury, sources have told Football Insider.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed that the £81million sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid in the summer means City’s transfer budget is well-stocked.

This comes after the 28-year-old Spain international suffered a serious knee injury during the 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Etihad.

Rodri’s importance to the team and to Pep Guardiola’s setup means his absence will likely have a significant impact on City’s season – and they are already targeting replacements.

However, sources say the names the club are looking at are unlikely to be available in January, and they are prepared to remain patient in their search for a new midfielder.

As a result, they face plenty of obstacles in their bid to replace the Spaniard, and are determined not to rush into a panic-buy when the transfer window opens.

For now, it is expected that Mateo Kovacic or John Stones will be selected to replace the midfielder in Guardiola’s first-team setup.

Man City line up Rodri replacements after serious injury blow

While the official diagnosis of Rodri’s injury remains unknown, Guardiola revealed he would be “out for a long, long time” and would require surgery.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident against Arsenal, fans were convinced that the midfielder would miss the rest of the season with the blow.

Rodri represents a crucial cog in this City team, having started more games than any of his teammates last season, while he missed all three of his side’s Premier League defeats through suspension.

With him in the side, they have lost just 19 of 174 league games at a loss rate of 10.9 per cent and with a win rate of 74.1 per cent.

However, without Rodri, that loss rate rockets to 33.3 per cent, having lost seven of the 21 games he has missed, while the win rate drops to just 61.9 per cent. (as per the Premier League)

As a result, there is a feeling that City will need to recruit a direct replacement who can play the deeper midfield role in Guardiola’s side.

Doing so would likely take a sizeable fee – although that is not expected to put them off thanks to the big-money summer sales they conducted.

Sources say City will turn to the transfer market in January, armed with a significant transfer kitty, but are not guaranteed to do any business if an opportunity does not arise.

In other news, Man City in pole position to sign Jamal Musiala as boss breaks silence.

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