Ferdinand rates Man City target as BETTER than Odegaard

Stuart Telford

• 20 Apr 2024 23:30 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester City are plotting a busy summer transfer window, and one of their top targets is better than Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard according to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand.

City have had to dig deep to defend their Premier League crown this season, and currently sit second behind Arsenal, albeit only one point worse off having played a game less.

They will also surrender their Champions League crown having been knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Real Madrid last Wednesday.

READ MORE: Latest Man City transfer rumours

Needless to say, they plan to strengthen, and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala has been identified as a top transfer target - one deemed to have the talent to succeed Kevin De Bruyne in the City midfield in the longer term.

And Ferdinand is certainly a fan, rating him above Gunners captain Odegaard in a quickfire TikTok quiz ahead of the UCL tie that pitted Bayern against Arsenal - which the Germans ultimately won 3-2 on aggregate.

Bayern win on and off the field…

Asked to choose players head-to-head based on their positions, Ferdinand chose six from Bayern and five from Arsenal, deliberating longest on the Bukayo Saka/Leroy Sane question and the Musiala/Odegaard one, to which he said "ooh, Musiala."

READ MORE: Gordon goal and Odegaard handball: Arsenal's controversial VAR decisions this season

Ferdinand has previously claimed that Musiala could win the Ballon d'Or.

"I think the highest compliment I can give him is that I don’t know where his ceiling is," he said last montn. "Most players even at 20/22 years old, you go 'I think they are going to get to this level and that’s them.'

"This guy has the potential to win the Ballon d'Or. I've said it before, he has the potential to do that if the path goes the right way for him and he’s in a successful team. That's the platform and foundation for that."

Musiala is also reportedly coveted by Chelsea, who had the youngster on their books before his switch to Bayern in 2019.