Whether Real Madrid come knocking or not, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have identified Rodri's successor, a report said. It is not going to be an easy purchase but the Premier League giants are reportedly certain that Bayern Munich's homegrown talent Aleksandar Pavlovic is an apt replacement for their Ballon d'Or winner.
21-year-old German international Pavlovic has so far made 44 senior team appearances for Bayern Munich. Under Vincent Kompany, the player with Serbian roots is gradually establishing himself as a regular starter. As per reports, City believes Pavlovic is not just gifted but also has the personality to be the next Rodri in the heart of their midfield.
Bayern Munich are not a team known for letting their ace players leave. In Pavlovic's case, he is contracted until 2029 and City will have to spend big to have the player who is brilliant with both his feet. It was in 2023 that Pavlovic made his senior debut for the Bavarians but he was training with the senior squad since 2022. He has represented Die Mannschaft five times so far and Manchester City believe that spending a huge sum to get him to Etihad Stadium is alright as somebody of the youngster's pedigree is a sensible investment for the years to come, TeamTalk said in a report.
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Spaniard Rodri is yet to hit complete fitness after suffering an ACL injury. The 29-year-old was heavily linked to Real Madrid ahead of the injury and was rumoured to join the Los Blancos when his current contract runs out in 2027. It remains unknown if his fitness issues have affected Real's plans, who are in the process of building another 'Galacticos' era with a focus on youngsters. There are no news on contract extension talks either even as his market value is about €110 million.