Manchester City are now willing to make an unexpected decision about Rodri's future at the club in an attempt to sign Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid in 2026.
The Citizens were in a ruthless mood against Liverpool before the international break, with Pep Guardiola overseeing his 1000th game as a manager in classic, dominant style.
It was the first time that the Citizens have sent a damning statement to the rest of the Premier League about their title credentials this season and former player Micah Richards believes that they could yet beat Arsenal to the crown once again.
“You’re thinking, OK, Haaland’s in really good form. Donnarumma has brought a little bit of solidity at the back. But are they the same Man City as previous seasons? No, they’re not.
"If you look at Man City’s last three games, they’ve had the same or less possession. They’re allowing teams to have the ball more, which is loads of space for Haaland, and exactly what happened today.
“Van Dijk and Konate usually get the better of him, but Haaland did really well and I think City are now looking at them because of their experience and the form of their players, they’ve got a really good chance now.”
What has made City's quietly impressive form even better is the fact that they've coped without Rodri. In the Spaniard's absence last season, they looked a shadow of their controlled best. This time around, as Rodri continues a stuttered recovery from an ACL injury, Nico Gonzalez has provided Guardiola with the perfect replacement.
It's allowed City's Ballon d'Or winner to slowly work his way back to his best, but has also welcomed some interesting reports about his long-term future at the Etihad. Some in Spain have even gone as far as to suggest that Rodri could yet be sacrificed as part of another £100m+ deal.
Man City willing to spend £100m+ to sign Bellingham
According to those reports in the Spanish media, Man City are now willing to spend €150m (£133m) to sign Bellingham in 2026 and could be prepared to use Rodri as a makeweight in any potential deal with Real Madrid.
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There's been more unrest at the Bernabeu since the arrival of Xabi Alonso, with Vinícius Jr particularly struggling with the Spaniard's call for discipline, and that has opened the door for a number of potential exits.
Whether Bellingham is among those is the question that many will be asking. There's no doubt that he — as one of the best midfielders in the world — would take City back to the level that resulted in Premier League dominance not so long ago.
Former Real boss Carlo Ancelotti has been one of many iconic names to hand Bellingham plenty of praise in recent years, having told Gary Lineker on the Rest is Football podcast earlier this week: "I think Jude is a fantastic player.
"If I have to compare, we were talking about Kaka. He is this kind of player, a really intelligent player, who is physically really strong, fantastic to arrive in the box at the right time."
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