Manchester City have reportedly offered Real Madrid a shock swap deal in a bid to sign a young player Pep Guardiola adores.
Man City targets Real Madrid star
Man City’s big concern during the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign was the goalscoring list. When it wasn’t Erling Haaland, it was difficult to determine who would take over from Guardiola. However, with Christmas approaching, to say that this is no longer a problem would be an understatement.
Phil Foden has particularly stepped up of late and even defenders such as Josko Gvardiol are getting in on the action, scoring twice in City’s last three Premier League games.
Full of praise for Foden after another excellent performance on Saturday, Guardiola told reporters: “Phil is incredible.
“He scores a lot of goals. He came to me after the match and told me he wasn’t feeling well today and look at what happened, how he runs, behind, gets the ball. When he’s in that momentum and in that mood, it’s a gift and a diamond. He’s great.”
City have now cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to just two points as they look to make up for last season and return to the top of English football.
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The Citizens could take the advantage over their title rivals.
Also with 2026 approaching, several rumors are starting to circulate around potential deals the Citizens could make which include a shock star from Real Madrid.
Reports have claimed that Man City are considering signing Arda Guler from the Spanish giants, despite Foden’s recent resurgence. The Turkish midfielder was one of the few players to benefit from Xabi Alonso’s arrival in Spain and the Etihad players are now reportedly prepared to sacrifice one of their own stars to secure his signature.
Man City offers shock swap deal with Real Madrid
According to reports in Spain, Man City have now offered Rodri a swap deal to sign Guler from Real Madrid in 2026. Guardiola is said to be a big fan of the 20-year-old and could bid farewell to one of his most important players to complete the deal.
It would undoubtedly be the most unexpected affair of the year. Rodri may still be recovering from his ACL injury, but there’s still no one better in his position when he’s at 100%. Would Man City really sacrifice their Ballon d’Or winner?
Furthermore, the question also needs to be asked whether City really need Guler? With Foden and Rayan Cherki competing for that No.10 role, finding a place in their team for the Madrid star would no doubt be quite difficult. That said, he was touted as “the next Kevin De Bruyne” by a journalist.
Nonetheless, it’s a deal that Real Madrid are not willing to accept at the moment, and that should come as no surprise after Alonso told reporters: “With his (Guler) quality, he’s a mix between Özil and Guti.
“Guti had this vision and finesse to link the play or operate closer to the goal, and with Mesut I loved football so much. Arda has something special, this natural talent that you can’t teach.”
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