According to reports, Man City boss Pep Guardiola has chosen Hakan Calhanoglu as the player he wants to cover for Rodri in January.
The Citizens started the new Premier League season well under Guardiola, winning seven of their opening nine matches.
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However, Man City have now lost their last two Premier League matches, and Guardiola’s side is struggling without Rodri in the middle of the park.
The Spaniard, who won the Ballon d’Or at the end of October, picked up a serious knee injury against Arsenal on September 22 and was ruled out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
There have been rumors Man City will bring in a player to replace Rodri in the winter transfer window with reports in Spain claiming Guardiola ‘chooses’ Inter Milan midfielder Calhanoglu for the job.
The experienced Turkey international ‘stands out not only for his vision and precision in passing but also for his powerful shot from a medium distance, a quality that Guardiola values and which reminds him of Rodri ‘s offensive abilities at key moments in games’.
Man City is ‘willing to put 45 million euros (£37m) on the table to complete the transfer in January’ and Inter, despite not wanting to sell, could ‘be open to negotiating due to the possibility of getting a considerable amount for a player who is close to turning 31.’
Despite the difference between the Premier League and Serie A, Guardiola is ‘confident that Calhanoglu will quickly adapt to the team’s dynamic’ at Man City.
It is also claimed that Guardiola ‘withdraws’ Man City ‘from negotiations’ for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong as they ‘have completely lost interest’ after witnessing the Netherlands international’s recent performances.
