Manchester City have been linked with Real Madrid winger Rodrygo this summer.
Sean McCormick Football Content Editor
05:00, 15 Aug 2025
Sean McCormick is a content editor across our North East and Yorkshire football clubs. He was previously a Newcastle United reporter, a trends writer covering both the Magpies and Sunderland AFC, as well as a football content editor at the Manchester Evening News. He also writes about darts and boxing. He joined us in 2016.
Rodrygo has been linked with Man City(Image: Real Madrid via Getty Images)
Manchester City have already had a very strong summer in the transfer market, with six new arrivals through the door at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola finally signed a natural left-back with the arrival of Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves, while Tijjani Reijnders will provide extra steel and quality at the base of midfield.
Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki will look to fill the creative void left by the departure of Kevin De Bruyne, while James Trafford will provide excellent competition for Ederson in the goalkeeper department.
Marcus Bettinelli has also arrived from Chelsea to replace Scott Carson as City’s third-choice goalkeeper and young midfielder Sverre Nypan has signed from Rosenborg, but is expected to leave the club on a season-long loan deal.
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However, they may not be done yet and after Tottenham’s interest in Savinho came to light, City are said to be eyeing a move for Real Madrid winger Rodrygo as a possible replacement.
The Brazil international has won a number of major trophies at the Bernabeu but is said to be free to leave this summer if the right bid comes in for him, given the embarrassment of riches Los Blancos boast in forward areas.
Guardiola is a big fan of the 24-year-old, particularly given he has been a thorn in City’s Champions League side on more than one occasion in the epic tussles between the two clubs, showing that he can make the difference and generate goals on the biggest stages.
A deal for him won’t come cheap, though, and if Savinho does go to Tottenham, City may well be looking for alternatives in the wide areas.
With that in mind, using DataMB’s player similarity generator tool to bring up players with similar characteristics to Rodrygo, one of the top results would perhaps be one of the most shocking transfers of the summer.
Alejandro Garnacho has been told he is free to leave City’s cross-city rivals Manchester United this summer and Chelsea are keen on a move for the Argentina international.
Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho(Image: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The 21-year-old has ranked in the top five players most similar to Rodrygo and, should City’s pursuit of the Real Madrid star fail, he could prove to be a decent alternative.
The obvious caveat is that it is very rare for a player to cross the city divide. And given the well-documented issues between Garnacho and Amorim, Guardiola may view a move as more hassle than it is worth.
But there is no doubting Garnacho’s talent and if City’s situation is not resolved before the end of the window and the 21-year-old is available it will be interesting to see whether they may test that theory.
Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo is another player who ranks highly in the list of possible Rodrygo alternatives but given the Cherries have already lost star players Milos Kerkez, Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen, it would take a hefty offer to tempt them into a sale.
Nonetheless, City will be aware there are alternatives out there. The next steps in their potential pursuit of Rodrygo will definitely be worth keeping an eye on.
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