According to the latest reports from the Sun as cited by Bristol Post, Manchester City are willing to offer Gabriel Jesus to Atletico Madrid for signing midfielder Rodri. Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also said to be interested in the Atletico Madrid star, but Pep Guardiola hopes that the use of Brazilian forward might tilt the balance in their favour.
Manchester City are seeing Rodri as a long term replacement for Fernandinho who is 34 now. The Brazilian has been brilliant for the Citizens in the defensive midfield role over the years, but Guardiola has been on the lookout for his replacement for quite some time.
Various reports have cited that Rodri has his release clause set at €70m. If Gabriel Jesus is involved in the deal, then we don’t see Guardiola paying anywhere near that release clause amount to land Rodri. Jesus has played second fiddle to Sergio Aguero but the young centre forward still managed to breach the 20 goal mark this season as he scored 21 goals in all competition.
The way Aguero has carried on, he can continue to be the first choice striker for the next two years atleast. However, the Argentine has had lengthy injury spells as well, and Jesus has filled in well for his South American counterpart. We feel that it would be a mistake from Guardiola to involve Jesus in the deal for Rodri as the Brazilian has the potential to become a top striker in a few years time.
However, the fact is that City desperately needs cover for Fernandinho and they might be tempted to involve the Brazilian in the deal. Atletico Madrid would also love to see a forward coming in as Antoine Griezmann recently indicated that he is leaving the club.
What will Rodri bring to the table?
The 22-year-old is a six-time Spanish international, and he has all the attributes required from a defensive midfielder. Rodri has that physical side to his game which is necessary to thrive in the Premier League. He can get stuck into the opposition in the middle of the park as he is known for his tackles and interceptions. The Spaniard has decent ball control and passing abilities. All in all, he should be able to settle in well in the Guardiola system, and one can understand why Pep is keen on bringing him in the summer.
What should be Guardiola’s play?
However, Aguero is not going to be around forever and using Jesus in the deal can come back to bite Manchester City in the future. The club should use their financial power to land Rodri, or they can involve someone like Nicolas Otamendi in the deal.
