Spanish reports claim Manchester City are ready to activate the €60m (£50.2m) release clause for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi in January, while Torino’s Samuele Ricci and Porto’s Alan Varela are among the alternatives being suggested as versatile centre-back John Stones has publicly insisted this past week he can fill in for the Euro 2024 champion after ACL and meniscus surgery.
Rodri’s absence weakens champions City
IT feels cruel, barely a few weeks after suggesting players are close to striking over the ever-increasing football fixture schedule, Manchester City’s midfield mainstay Rodri has now been sidelined for the rest of the campaign after surgery on ACL and some meniscus damage sustained in their 1-1 home draw with Arsenal on Sept. 22.
Yet while his like-for-like replacement Mateo Kovacic scored a matchwinning double in their 3-2 comeback win over Fulham last Saturday, it goes without saying they need more than just the experienced Croatian to shore up protection for their backline in the Spaniard’s absence – having experimented with Rico Lewis, John Stones and the returning Ilkay Gundogan alongside him at the base of their midfield.
For what it’s worth, Stones has publicly stated he loves playing in the Rodri role as a no. 6 and would be happy to do so if called upon, notably doing so during their Champions League final win over Inter last summer.
“I always enjoy it and try every time I go in there, the manager puts us there for a reason, it’s about going out there and doing a job. It happened a lot over the last two years – me going into midfield – I was a bit higher [against Inter], that was new for me, I enjoyed it.”
According to Relevo (text in Spanish), Sociedad star midfielder Martin Zubimendi is their prime transfer target above all else though it’s unlikely he would green light a move mid-season, especially having rebuffed Liverpool’s advances at the start of the campaign. Convincing the 25-year-old appears the biggest consideration.
“It’s true that it wasn’t an easy few days, but I’m very happy with the decision I made from within. I’ve made peace with it, because I thought it was the best thing to do,” he said about opting against joining Arne Slot’s Liverpool side over the summer. A verbal agreement didn’t extend beyond that and Sociedad are stronger for his presence, despite their patchy start to the campaign across all competitions.
They sit 15th in La Liga after nine games played, with more draws (3) than victories (2) and just seven goals scored. They’re also just outside the 24-team qualification playoff places in Europa League play too, having suffered a 2-1 home defeat by Anderlecht on Oct. 3 a week following their 1-1 draw in south France against Nice.
City reportedly want to take advantage of the fact he hasn’t signed a contract extension, meaning the existing release clause remains the same, and would be viewed as a shrewd move given how inflation has drastically impacted transfer fees and clubs’ valuations for their important players over the past few years.
In the last few months, the value of the pound against the euro means they’d be paying roughly one million less for a highly-rated player who could seamlessly slot into their long-term plans. Unless something drastic happens, the Citizens need patience in their attempts at persuading him to venture towards English shores.
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