Manchester City fans have fond memories of their former star Elano.
The Brazilian moved to the Etihad Stadium in 2007 as part of a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk, and remained in Manchester for two years before departing for Galatasaray.
During his time in the Premier League, Elano became a bit of a fan favourite amongst City supporters, as the Brazilian had the ability to produce some stunning goals, his free-kick against Newcastle in 2007 being a prime example.
10 years after that event, Man City fans would not have been expecting Elano to still be helping them, but that is exactly what the Brazilian did by stopping a current Real Madrid superstar from joining Liverpool in 2017.
Elano stopped Liverpool from signing Rodrygo
Liverpool have stolen a march on Man City this summer by signing many stars Pep Guardiola was interested in, such as Florian Wirtz, and the Reds’ squad may be even stronger if it weren’t for Elano back in 2017.
According to a report from The Guardian, Liverpool were close to signing Rodrygo for just €3m (£2.5m) in 2017; however, the deal did not go through due to the intervention of Elano.
The former Manchester City midfielder told The Guardian that he persuaded the then Santos president, Modesto Roma Júnior, to abandon plans to sell a 16-year-old Rodrygo to the Merseyside club for such a small amount, which proved to be the right decision a year later.
Elano was working as an assistant coach at Santos at the time, where he was highly regarded, and even threatened to quit if Liverpool’s offer was accepted.
“‘You can’t sell him. If you sell him, I’m out,’” Elano says he told the Santos president. “‘What is €3m nowadays? Nothing!’”
Santos would go on to receive €45m (£39m) from Real Madrid a year later, and Elano’s intervention may continue to benefit Man City to this day, as the winger is a player who could still end up at the Etihad Stadium before the summer transfer window shuts.
Rodrygo could still join Manchester City this summer
Rodrygo started on the bench once again for Real Madrid’s FIFA Club World Cup semi-final with PSG on Wednesday, which did not aid the rumours around the Brazilian’s future.
Man City have admired Rodrygo for some time now; however, it was recently reported that Pep Guardiola has no plans to sign the Real Madrid star this summer.
That may change, given the 24-year-old’s current situation, while Real Madrid are now open to selling Rodrygo over the coming weeks, with the La Liga giants seeking £77m for his departure.
Man City could negotiate a lower fee for the winger if it becomes clear that the Madrid star wants to leave the Bernabeu, but only time will tell if the Manchester club makes a move for the Brazilian international.
