Manchester City eye potential Rodri replacement at Real Madrid: report

Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri kisses the trophy as he receives the Ballon d'Or award during the 2024 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 28, 2024. .

Manchester City have been credited with an interest in a young Real Madrid star, with the two clubs said to have been discussing potential player swaps.

There has been tension between the two European giants in recent years, never more so than when Los Blancos swerved the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony when they learned that Rodri had pipped Vinicius Jr to the award.

But they may soon be putting their differences aside to pull off one, or potentially more, spectacular deals.

Manchester City identify €60m potential future Rodri replacement

The Sky Blues have been linked with a young Madrid man who would challenge Rodri's position (Image credit: Getty Images)

Following the awards fallout, the two sides played each other at the Etihad Stadium later that season, with a huge banner being unfurled in the home end displaying Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or next to the title of an apt Oasis song, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”.

That has not stopped the Spanish midfielder being persistently linked with a move to the Bernabeu, and should he go, a player could be heading in the other direction to replace him.

Eduardo Camavinga is reportedly admired by figures inside Etihad Stadium (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Fichajes, Madrid looking to sell defensively-minded midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, with City one of the interested parties.

The Spanish outlet reports that Pep Guardiola’s side would be willing to spend €60m to secure the midfielder’s services.

It is reported that the relationship between the two clubs has “intensified” with both sides “negotiating potential player swaps”, although Camavinga aside, the players involved in those talks are not revealed by the website.

Nevertheless, with the similarities in what Rodri and the Frenchman offer a side, and the persistent rumours of the former returning to the city of his birth, the duo would seem prime candidates for such a deal.

Camavinga could be shrewd acquisition for City, with Rodri getting no younger and never far from departure rumours (Image credit: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, City fans would understandably not be too keen to lose a man who is undoubtedly the best in his position at present, and a key reason behind their success in recent years.

But at 29 years old, coming off the back of a very serious injury, now may be the time to cash in and seek out a future replacement.

If they could extract an acceptable deal from Los Blancos, which would surely involve cash on top of Camavinga, if that’s the deal they opted for, then they would achieve both goals in one swoop.

Rodri is valued at €110m, according to Transfermarkt, who state that Camavinga is worth €50m.