Man City join race to sign £85m sensational player that could partner with Rodri
The summer transfer window officially opened for business last month and Manchester City are yet to make a major addition to their first-team squad.
It was recently reported that the club are poised to snap up Brazil international Savio from French side Troyes on a five-year contract, though, to become their first signing.
Pep Guardiola’s side endured a somewhat frustrating 2023/24 campaign as they ended it with only one major trophy to add to their collection – the Premier League title.
They failed to secure the League Cup, the FA Cup, or the Champions League to follow up on their treble-winning success in the previous season.
pep-guardiola-man-city-premier-league
Guardiola may now want to make some additions to his playing squad to improve the team in order to give himself the best chance of winning more silverware next term.
The aim should be to compete for a second Champions League trophy, alongside domestic success, and the Cityzens are reportedly eyeing up a new midfielder to help with their goals.
Man City join battle for midfield sensation
According to the printed edition of O Jogo (07/07/24), as relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City have joined the race to sign Portugal international Joao Neves from Benfica.
The Premier League champions are now battling with other top European clubs to land the Liga Portugal starlet, who was recently sent home from Germany after his country were knocked out of the European Championship by France on penalties.
O’Jogo claims that City have become more interested in Neves as the summer has gone on, amid speculation over Kevin de Bruyne’s future, as they see the teenage sensation as a future star.
It does say that the the Benfica star is not a similar player to the Belgian superstar, although it could suggest that Guardiola trusts other players – like Foden and Bernardo Silva – to step up on the creative front.
SL Benfica star Joao Neves
The report adds that Manchester United and French giants PSG are also interested in the talented maestro and both are prepared to pay €70m (£59m) for his services.
However, that is unlikely to be enough to secure his signature as O’Jogo reveals that Benfica are looking for a staggering fee of €100m (£85m) for Neves this summer.
It now remains to be seen whether or not City are prepared to offer the €100m, €30m more than PSG and United want to pay, that is required to sign the 19-year-old talent.
If the Cityzens do press ahead with a deal to sign the Portugal international for £85m this summer then they could land a dream partner for Rodri in the middle of the park.
Rodri’s midfield brilliance for City
The Spain international was sensational in midfield yet again for City during the 2023/24 campaign as he played an integral role in their Premier League title success.
His ability to brilliantly protect the defence with his sweeping play out of possession and his quality on the ball to be a metronomic figure in the engine room makes him the perfect number six for Guardiola’s team.
Rodri-Manchester-City
Rodri started 34 of the club’s 38 Premier League games last season and showcased his dominant defensive nature with a duel success rate of 59%, and aerial battle success rate of 71%.
This shows that he has the positioning and physicality to win the majority of his physical contests with opposition players to win possession back and cut out opposition attacks.
He also ranked within the top 1% of midfielders in the division for passes attempted per 90 (112.26) and the top 1% for progressive passes per 90 (11.55), which illustrates his ability to control matches and progress play consistently for the Cityzens.
2024 European Championship
Rodri (Spain)
Appearances
4
Sofascore rating
7.5
Pass accuracy
94%
Key passes per game
1.3
Tackles per game
3.0
Duel success rate
64%
As you can see in the table above, Rodri has also been in fantastic form in and out of possession in the current European Championship in Germany, in which he will play a semi-final against France on Tuesday night.
These statistics further illustrate the Spaniard’s sublime qualities in and out of possession at international level, as it shows that he is a dominant defender who can break up attacks whilst also being reliable and creative in possession.
Why Man City should sign Joao Neves
City should swoop to sign Neves from Benfica as he could be an excellent partner from Rodri in the here and now whilst being moulded into being the long-term replacement for the former Atletico Madrid star.
At the age of 19, the £85m-rated ace is nine years younger than the Spanish maestro and could be viewed as the future number six for the Premier League champions.
Joao-Neves-Portugal
There is no sign of Rodri slowing down any time soon, though, at the age of 28 and that is why Neves should come in to play alongside him for the next few seasons, at least.
The teenage whiz enjoyed a fantastic season in the Portuguese top-flight last term and his statistics indicate that the potential is there for him to be a dominant partner for the current City star in midfield.
It is worth prefacing this with the fact that the 19-year-old gem is yet to prove himself outside of his home country and it would, therefore, be a gamble, but it is one that could be worth taking.
Joao Neves
23/24 Liga Portugal (per 90)
Percentile rank vs midfielders
Passes attempted (80.85)
Top 1%
Progressive passes (6.66)
Top 13%
Successful take-ons (1.60)
Top 9%
Tackles (2.53)
Top 23%
Interceptions (1.36)
Top 16%
Blocks (1.91)
Top 9%
As you can see in the table above, Neves ranked incredibly highly among his positional peers in a number of key possession-based and defensive metrics.
The “insane” prospect – as described by analyst Ben Mattinson – also won 57% of his duels across 33 appearances in the league for Benfica, which shows that he can be a dominant defender in midfield.
These statistics show that the City target has the potential to come in and offer plenty of quality in and out of possession, like Rodri, and he could form a monstrous pairing with the Spain international as they both provide a physical presence and progression on the ball.
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