Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have now stepped up their interest in signing Real Madrid star Federico Valverde, and a swap deal involving Erling Haaland could be on the cards in the future.

Man City are looking to sign a new midfielder, with Rodri continuing to struggle on the injury front in the opening few months of the 2025-26 campaign, missing three of the last four matches in the Premier League due to a hamstring issue.

Surprisingly, it has now emerged that City could now be willing to use Rodri as a makeweight in negotiations to sign Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, who could be in line to become their club record signing, surpassing the £100m spent on Jack Grealish.

Nico Gonzalez impressed when slotting into the central midfield in the victory against Liverpool prior to the international break, scoring the second goal in the 3-0 rout, but the Blues have now joined the race for a more established top-level central midfielder…

Man City stepping up interest in signing Federico Valverde

According to a report from Spain, Man City are now stepping up their interest in signing Real Madrid midfielder Valverde, with Pep driving the move, having identified the 27-year-old as one of his top targets in the middle of the park.

The City boss is determined to bring in a new central midfielder, while the Spanish giants want to sign Haaland, and it is believed Guardiola’s side would be willing to consider a swap deal for the Norwegian, with the Uruguayan being used as a makeweight.

Otherwise, the La Liga side have no plans to let the Montevideo-born star leave, meaning it could be difficult for the Blues to get a deal over the line, and missing out would be disappointing, given the level of his performances over the past year.

Federico Valverde’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Passes attempted

66.18 (87th percentile)

Pass completion %

89.7% (89th percentile)

Assists

0.19 (84th percentile)

Interceptions

1.44 (87th percentile)

The 71-time Uruguay international is vastly experienced at the highest level, having made 69 appearances in the Champions League, and he has even been lauded as “world-class” by former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

As such, Man City should definitely try and get a deal done, but if the only way to sign Valverde is as part of a Haaland swap deal, then a move should be avoided, given that the striker is currently in the form of his life.

The 25-year-old, who has been named among the best strikers in the world, has already scored 14 Premier League goals this season, six more than any other player in the top flight, and simply cannot be allowed to leave if City are to stand any chance of reclaiming the title.

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ByCharlie Smith