Manchester City and Arsenal are expected to be the two teams challenging Liverpool for the Premier League title this season.
The trio have been the strongest teams in England over the last three seasons, and with Liverpool winning the title comfortably last season, that is not expected this time around.
Man City have strengthened their squad significantly during the opening phase of the summer transfer window to aid their challenge against the Reds, with Tijjani Reijnders arriving into Pep Guardiola’s squad, in addition to Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Marcus Bettinelli.
There are still other areas the Manchester club need to address, and City could deal Arsenal a major blow by signing a £77m star from Real Madrid.
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Man City should consider a move for Real Madrid winger Rodrygo
Guardiola will make a decision on whether to sign more players after the FIFA Club World Cup has ended, as the Man City boss still has key areas he needs to address.
Man City are expected to move for a right-back before the transfer window shuts, but The Athletic reports that a winger could also be on the cards for the Manchester club, as Savinho and Jeremy Doku are expected to be the only out-and-out wingers at the club come September.
Should Guardiola decide to go down this path, Real Madrid’s Rodrygo would be a great option as he is a world-class talent who has big-game experience. The Brazilian is still only 24, and as a bonus, it would deal Arsenal a blow.
According to Ben Jacobs, Arsenal hold a genuine interest in Rodrygo and have held exploratory talks on the player’s side dating back to May. Real Madrid want around £77m (€90m) for the winger, but that could be lowered after some negotiations.
Man City have been linked to Rodrygo before, which shows that the Real Madrid star is a player who has been on their radar for some time.
Xabi Alonso does not want to lose Rodrygo this summer; however, if City can get a deal done, it would be a huge boost on many fronts.
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How Rodrygo compares to Man City’s wingers
Last season was not the best in Rodrygo’s career as the Brazilian fell down the pecking order at Real Madrid following the arrival of Kylian Mbappe.
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old is still an upgrade on Man City’s natural wingers in Doku, Savinho, and Jack Grealish as the La Liga star outperformed them throughout the 2024/25 campaign, despite his struggles in Madrid.
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| Rodrygo | 51 | 14 | 10 | 3360 |
| Savinho | 45 | 2 | 12 | 2787 |
| Jeremy Doku | 38 | 6 | 9 | 1986 |
| Jack Grealish | 32 | 3 | 5 | 1521 |
A right-back is more of a priority for Man City over the coming weeks, as that is an area of the pitch that Guardiola needs to address, as the likes of Omar Marmoush, Phil Foden, and Rayan Cherki can fill in out wide in the meantime.
However, if the Manchester club have money left over to spend, Rodrygo would be a great player to splash it on, as the Brazilian would easily become the best natural winger in Guardiola’s squad.
