Barcelona identify 24-year-old midfielder as potential replacement for Sergio Busquets in deal that would cost €100 million: Reports
According to Fichajes, Barcelona have identified Manchester City's Rodri as a potential replacement for Sergio Busquets.
Busquets has been an incredible servant for the Catalan club since making his debut for them back in 2008. A one-club man till now, the Spanish World Cup-winner has made 687 appearances for the Blagarana during his illustrious career.
He has won 32 major trophies with the club, including three UEFA Champions League honors and eight La Liga titles. However, the 34-year-old is slowly approaching the tail end of his career.
While he is still a starter under Xavi Hernandez, the player is in the final year of his contract and is presumably interested in joining MLS-based side Inter Miami.
Hence, Barcelona have a tough task on their hands as they look for a replacement for the player who has been a great servant for them for a decade and a half.
The Catalan club are keen to bring former Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodri back to Spain. The player has been a regular for the Cityzens under Pep Guardiola. He has made 1611 appearances for Manchester City, including 10 this season.
Given his experience of playing in La Liga, the 24-year-old could be a like-for-like replacement for Busquets. Much like the 34-yer-old, Rodri possesses the qualities required from a world-class holding midfielder.
✍️Man City’s Rodri has been linked with a huge move away to Barcelona, with Sergio Busquets’ life in Spain possibly coming to and end.
But how likely is the move? I take a look at the rumours for @SInow ⬇️✍️
#MCFC #FCBarcelona si.com/soccer/manches…
That said, it would take an approximate sum of €100 million to lure him away from Manchester City. Unless the player requests a transfer, the defending Premier League champions can reject a bid of that amount as Rodri is a massively important part of Manchester City.
Former Barcelona star Dani Alves details scuffle with Cristiano Ronaldo
Dani Alves and Cristiano Ronaldo had an intense rivalry on the field when they played for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. However, the Brazilian recently stated that he admires Ronaldo a lot as a player.
During a podcast with his teammate Efrio Velarde, here's what the full-back stated (via Managing Madrid):
"I love Cristiano, Now that we are no longer at Barca and Madrid I can speak because it always seemed like I couldn’t. Cristiano exemplifies, for all of us who don’t have that much quality, that with hard work you can also compete against the best. I respect him a lot, and I had the opportunity to tell him."