With Rodri set to be out for the remainder of the season, Manchester City are reportedly prepared to spend as much as €60 million (R1.1 billion) on his replacement in the next transfer window.
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The Citizens will be without one of their most integral players for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign after 2024 Ballon d'Or contender Rodri suffered a cruciate ligament tear during their 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League last month.
This has left Pep Guardiola trying out different combinations in the middle of the park since, with the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic all alternating to either play as a double pivot or as a lone holding midfielder.
However, none of them possess similar qualities to that of Rodri, and it seem the Mancunians are keen to address this by entering the mid-season transfer window in order to find an apt successor to the 28-year-old.
According to Relevo, the player Guardiola has in mind is Martin Zubimendi.
The San Sebastian native looked poised to make the move to Liverpool during the off-season but rejected the move at the last moment, and it now looks as though City will be the latest Premier League outfit to test his resolve.
The 25-year-old is yet to sign a contract extension at Real Sociedad, meaning the Citizens could activate his mooted €60 million release clause, but the same report suggests that the English club would still need to convince the player to move during the middle of the season.
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At the moment, that seems unlikely, but it is believed City view Zubimendi as a long-term replacement for Rodri should the latter decide to leave the club in the near future.
