Pep Guardiola reveals Manchester City transfer discussions with Txiki Begiristain over January activity to replace Rodri

Manchester City have started initial discussions with sporting director Txiki Begiristain over their playing squad following the long-term absence to Rodri.

The Spain international has been ruled out for the remainder of the ongoing season having sustained both damage to his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee, during the 2-2 draw against Arsenal last weekend.

Having travelled to Spain for further assessment, opinion, and examination on the injury courtesy of medical professionals in Barcelona and Madrid, national reports in the country have stated that surgery was undertaken in the capital.

In light of those reports, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed supporters’ worst fears, with Rodri now ruled out for the remainder of the campaign and leaving him with major dilemmas as to how best to deal with the problem of the player’s absence.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Newcastle United on Saturday lunchtime, Guardiola was quizzed on whether City could turn to the transfer window in January to soften the blow of Rodri’s long-term absence.

“We talked today with Txiki [Begiristain] and we’ll see how it’s going on. We don’t have to decide tomorrow, right? The transfer window has been closed until January, so we have time to see potential problems we have, and after we will see.”

In recent days, a number of reports have already began linking Manchester City with a long list of defensive midfield names that could be of interest in the upcoming winter transfer market, including profiles from within the Premier League and Serie A.

Crystal Palace and England international Adam Wharton has long been suggested as an option and player of interest to Manchester City, while they could face competition from both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid further down the line.

City’s recent clash with Inter Milan and follow-up praise from the Manchester City manager has also seen Italian media jump to link the club with big-money interest in both Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu.