Man City make late move to sign “elegant” star

It has been a busy transfer window so far for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side have made three new first-team signings, and have not been afraid to spend big money. The most notable addition has been Omar Marmoush, who joined the club for £59m from Eintracht Frankfurt.

They have also made two new additions at centre-back. One of those was Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov, who cost £33.6m up front with add-ons on top of that. City also bright in young Brazilian centre-back Vitor Reis from Palmeiras, who cost the Premier League champions £29.6m.

The Citizens might not be done with transfer business yet, however, because they have recently been linked with a new addition in midfield.

City target new midfielder

The player in question here is Porto and Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez. The 23-year-old has impressed with the Portuguese side this season and now could be in line for a departure before the January transfer window slams shut on Monday.

According to a report from journalist Fabrizio Romano, the reigning Premier League champions have made a ‘formal approach’ to Porto to enquire about signing the Spaniard this month.

However, this may be a tough deal for the Citizens to get over the line. Porto are hoping to keep their midfielder beyond the 3rd of February and will demand an ‘important transfer fee’ or he will stay at the club.

Gonzalez – who reportedly earns £18k-per-week, as per Capology – has a £50m release clause in his contract, and it seems like City will need to meet this to sign him.

Why Gonzalez would be a good signing

It has been an impressive season for Gonzalez so far for Porto. In 29 games for the Dragons this season, he has seven goals and six assists, good numbers from midfield.

Perhaps his most important goal contribution came against Sporting in the Supertaca Candido de Oliveira, the Portuguese Super Cup. He scored a crucial goal in a 4-3 win, helping his side to the trophy.

Gonzalez, an “elegant” midfielder according to football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, came through Barcelona’s esteemed La Masia academy. He played 37 times for the La Liga giants, scoring two goals and two assists before departing the club, first on loan to Valencia and then making the permanent move to Porto.

If the Citizens got this deal over the line, he could be the second coming of Rodri. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has been injured for much of the season, although he is “the best midfield player, currently, in the world by far” according to Guardiola.

It has been an extraordinary few years at City for Rodri. He has played 260 times for the club, chipping in with 56 crucial goals and assists.

Undoubtedly his most important strike came in the 2022/23 Champions League final against Inter, where the midfielder scored the only goal to seal the treble for City.

There are certainly similarities between the two midfielders, even if Gonzalez is a more offensive player than Rodri. Both are Spaniards who have had experience playing at a big club in La Liga before making a move to further their career. Of course, the similarities could extend even more if Gonzalez joins City.

Even though they are different types of players, with Gonzalez a more advanced midfielder, you can still see some statistical comparison between the pair, from the 2023/24 Champions League, courtesy of Squawka.

For example, the Porto man had an average pass accuracy of 87.01% and won five ground duels per game. In comparison, Rodri managed a 91.88% pass accuracy and won 4.2 ground duels per game.

There are lots of similarities between Gonzalez and Rodri, even if the pair are not stylistically the same. They both look after the ball well and work hard without possession, and, of course, both hail from Spain.

Although £50m is a big investment for City, this could be a brilliant signing to add to the quality in midfield.

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