Man City's £123 million transfer dilemma that Pep Guardiola desperately needs to solve

Manchester City have an obvious transfer priority this summer and Pep Guardiola will hope he can finally find a solution.

The Blues have done little wrong in the transfer market in recent seasons but have yet to find an alternative to the metronomic Rodri. The Spaniard is arguably the first name on the City team sheet such is his importance in midfield.

But with that ability and significance comes a reliance. Rodri has barely missed a match in the last two seasons and spoke up about needing a rest in April. This summer he’s aiming to help secure Euro glory for Spain ahead of a club season that brings an expanded Champions League and end-of-season Club World Cup. If Rodri feels at breaking point now, his necessity for a breather will only intensify in the coming months.

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And it’s why signing a midfielder should be priority number one for City. It’s not as if they haven’t tried, the addition of Kalvin Phillips looked the perfect solution but the £45million deal has failed to work out and his future is surely now away from the Etihad.

A slow start, the absence of his manager’s backing and a dismal loan spell at West Ham have combined to leave his City career prospects in tatters.

Last summer Guardiola moved for Matheus Nunes from Wolves for £53million. While not a like for like Rodri replacement, he showed during his time at Sporting an intensity and an ability to be a box to box player capable of combining defensive strength with attacking nous. Indeed during Nunes’ time in Portugal, Guardiola labelled him as one of the world’s best midfielders.

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