Officials at Manchester City have reportedly included Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton among their potential transfer targets for the upcoming January market.
Txiki Begiristain and his boardroom colleagues at the Etihad Stadium are currently in the process of weighing up whether it is necessary to invest in their squad during the winter market – an approach to business that is not often associated with City.
January is more often seen as a window when Manchester City would recruit in emerging markets for rising talents, agreeing deals that come to fruition later down the line, as seen through Gabriel Jesus, Julian Alvarez, and Claudio Echeverri in recent years.
But adversity may force the club to scrap that approach, investing some of the vast sums of money brought in through player sales over recent markets into a position that is causing significant headaches and worsening performances for the club.
Rodri’s season-long injury has somewhat contributed to Manchester City’s run of six matches across competitions without a win, getting their first non-defeat on Tuesday night, but throwing away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League.
Now, according to the information of MailSport’s Sami Mokbel, Manchester City are now interested in both Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi as they look to secure a viable stand-in for the injured Rodri.
It is explained that the Premier League champions had originally intended to pursue interest in a new midfielder during 2025’s summer market, but the injury to the Ballon d’Or winner is expected to see the club consider bringing those plans forward to January.
In the case of the Crystal Palace and England international, Wharton himself is recovering from his own injury, and MailSport’s report states that the youngster is moving towards a return to action after having an operation on an issue prevalent since Euro 2024.
While it remains to be seen whether Crystal Palace would even consider a sale in the middle of the season, Mokbel reports that there is a realisation the former Blackburn Rovers man will leave for a top club in one of the next four transfer windows.
In the case of Martin Zubimendi, the Spaniard is known to be a close friend of Rodri from their time working together in the Spanish national team, and particularly during the European Championship winning campaign of last summer.
It remains to be seen whether the 25-year-old has had a change of heart on a move to England however, having rejected the opportunity to join Arne Slot’s Liverpool project during the summer market.
Pep Guardiola’s commitment to Manchester City for a further two-years, confirmed earlier this month, will likely sway more players of interest towards the Etihad Stadium, such is the Catalan’s presence and stature within the sport.