Manchester City have lost Rodri for the season and are now looking at potential replacements for the influential Spaniard.
City fans were left devastated by news of Rodri’s injury, which occurred against Arsenal last month at the Etihad Stadium.
The 28-year-old has been an immaculate performer in recent years for Pep Guardiola, and he is widely regarded as the best holding midfielder in the world.
So Rodri is going to be a gargantuan loss, and the feeling is that City swoop for more cover in January.
And one player who City reportedly have interest in is Samuele Ricci of Torino.
Today, there has been a further claim made about the Italian maestro.
Man City would pay £25 million to sign Samuele Ricci
It has been reported today by Caught Offside that Samuele Ricci is of interest to both City and Arsenal, and that the two Premier League rivals both value him around the £25 million mark.
They say earlier in their report that Torino are anticipating offers of around £42 million for their player.
But it remains to be seen if anyone would be willing to stump up that much money.
Ricci joined Torino in 2022 and has clocked up 86 appearances for his club so far. Before that, he had made 90 appearances for Empoli.
He has 100 appearances to his name in Serie A, perhaps adding to his appeal.
Why Ricci should choose Man City over Arsenal
It must be flattering for Ricci to have the top two English clubs interested in signing him, but there are a few reasons why he should be choosing City over Arsenal – if there is indeed interest.
Rodri is going to be out for a long time, so there would be genuine chances for him to play regularly right off the bat.
Of course, he would have to force his way into the team. But Ricci is clearly a talented holding midfielder and has already played a lot of football in his career at the age of 23. He also has four caps for Italy.
He would get to work with arguably the greatest manager of all time in Guardiola.
Plus, being in the City dressing room would do absolutely wonders for him in terms of learning. He could pick the brains of Rodri, who Ricci described as ‘the best of the best’, Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan and really develop himself further at the Etihad.
Rodri is, really, the only senior out-and-out holding midfielder at the club right now. So Ricci would potentially get some decent playing time and, of course, be in the mix for trophies.
