Guardiola chooses Rodri replacement for January transfer window

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 10 Nov 2024 14:31 GMT
• 3 min read

Pep Guardiola has chosen Martin Zubimendi as the midfielder he wants Man City to sign to replace Rodri in January.

City will go into the market in January to sign a new central midfielder following the serious injury sustained by Rodri, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

The absence of Rodri has hit City hard as for the first time in Pep Guardiola's career, he has seen his team lose four matches in a row.

City are at risk of falling out of the title race and must buy a replacement for Rodri to get themselves back in the fight.

According to Football Insider, Guardiola is pushing for City to sign Zubimendi in January.

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The Real Sociedad star decided to snub Liverpool this summer despite initially looking set to depart his boyhood club.

Liverpool had made an approach and Zubimendi initially seemed set to agree to the move.

However, the LaLiga side launched a charm offensive and managed to convince the 25-year-old Spain international to stay in his hometown, much to the surprise of the Reds.

Earlier in the year, Arsenal had also attempted to persuade the Basque star, but despite broadly agreeing on contract terms, he ultimately decided to break off all communication with the Gunners, leaving them frustrated and unwilling to make fresh contact when the summer window opened.

The midfielder broke his silence on the matter in September stating: "For me, Real Sociedad is my life, I think I've spent half my life there. A large percentage of who I am is part of Real Sociedad, it's my life."

But that life with Real Sociedad could come to an end in January if Guardiola has his way.

Zubimendi at Euro 2024

Zubimendi enjoyed a fantastic Euro 2024 as Spain won the title and he was deemed by many to have been the key man in the 2-1 final win over England.

The midfielder came on at half time for Rodri with the score at 0-0 and immediately changed the game.

Zubimendi has spent his whole career at Real Sociedad, making 202 appearances and scoring eight goals. He won the Copa del Rey in 2020.

Previously he played for Real Sociedad’s B team, making 50 appearances and scoring four goals.

He has been capped 14 times by Spain, winning Euro 2024 and the Nations League last year. He has scored one goal.