Man City’s €100m transfer plan after Rodri injury

Robin Bairner

23 Sept 2024 12:00 BST
2 min read

Pep Guardiola, Rodri, Man City, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Manchester City are plotting a move for Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich to replace injured midfielder Rodri.

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The Spain international star, who is widely considered to be a leading candidate to win the Ballon d’Or, is set to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a suspected ACL injury in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday.

Rodri has been a centrepiece of Pep Guardiola’s dominant side and a prolonged period on the sidelines seriously threatens to jeopardise the club’s title hopes.

RODRI INJURY UPDATE: How long does an anterior cruciate ligament injury take to heal?

TeamTalk reports that Man City lead the race for Musiala ahead of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Guardiola’s team are said to hold a marginal advantage in this race over Real Madrid because Musiala wants to return to England to play in the Premier League.

City are said to have “hinted” about the prospect of a bid worth €100 million, though exactly when this might be made is unclear. Given the club’s need to sign a replacement for Rodri, it could come as early as January, which is something that Bayern surely would not welcome.

Current ETV

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

Rodri

DM, M (C)

Man City

ETV Range

€76.8M - €128M

The situation for the Bundesliga club, though, is fragile. Musiala is out of contract until 2026 and while talks with Bayern are open, a transfer looks a distinct possibility at this point.

For his part, Guardiola is said to be “obsessed” with the youngster, who although is not a like-for-like replacement for Rodri, has been told he is intelligent enough to develop his game in this mould.

Bayern should knockback €100m offer

Current ETV

Jamal Musiala

M (CRL)

Bayern

Jamal Musiala

M (CRL)

Bayern

ETV Range

€85.6M - €142.6M

Bayern, meanwhile, would be best advised not to accept any offer around the €100m mark for Musiala as they would be selling themselves short.

The 21-year-old has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €114.1m, which is well in excess of City’s anticipated bid.

Any mid-season move would come as a major shock in any case, and if the Premier League champions were to engineer such a deal, it would surely come with a premium placed on the young midfielder’s head.