Back in December, Pep Guardiola declared that Manchester City are "at risk" of missing out on Champions League qualification.
Well, this forecast could come to pass.
pep guardiola-2
On Saturday, the Sky Blues were beaten 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, their 15th defeat in 30 matches; prior to this, their previous 15 losses had been spread across 169 matches, dating back over four years.
This has seen them slide down to fifth in the Premier League table, above Newcastle by virtue of goal difference alone, just a point clear of Brighton, who they'll welcome to the Etihad on Saturday.
So Guardiola, alongside new sporting director Hugo Viana, is going to need to oversee a mass rebuilding of the squad this summer, so could the Citizens target one of the world's most highly-rated midfielders?
Manchester City seeking to sign world-class midfielder
According to a report by Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Deutschland, Man City have Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga 'on their list', adding that the Frenchman is yet to decide whether he wants to move this summer.
This would be in line with Man City's current transfer strategy of reducing the average age of the squad.
In January, as noted by Philip Buckingham of the Athletic, the Sky Blues splashed £178m on five new acquisitions, which was more than the other 19 Premier League clubs combined.
They recruited Abdukodir Khusanov (21), Vitor Reis (19), Juma Bah (18), Nico González (23) and Omar Marmoush (26), while allowing 34-year-old Kyle Walker to depart for AC Milan, with other stalwarts in the 30s, including John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne, potentially on the way out too.
Marmoush-Man-City
So, could Camavinga be the marquee signing of Man City's summer rebuild?
How Camavinga would fit in at Manchester City
Still only 22-years-old, Camavinga burst onto the scene at Stade Rennais, debuting for les Rouge et Noirs shortly after his 16th birthday, becoming their youngest-ever player, before also being named man of the match during a 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain a few months later.
His 88 appearances for Rennes earned rave reviews, with Jacek Kulig from Football Talent Scout labelling him a 'world-class talent', earning international recognition too, becoming France's youngest senior goalscorer since Maurice Gastiger in 1914 by netting against Ukraine in October 2020.
Thus, in the summer of 2021, Real Madrid paid a reported fee of £34.4m to secure his services, making 171 appearances for los Blancos to date, winning 11 major honours already, including two La Liga title and the Champions League twice.
Parshva Shah of Goal describes him as 'defensively exceptional', leading to, as outlined by Philippe Auclair of the Guardian, Camavinga regularly being forced to fill in at left-back, despite the fact his manager Carlo Ancelotti has explicitly stated that his best position is defensive midfield.
Thus, despite the fact he has signed a new contract until 2029, reports in Spain suggest President Florentino Pérez is open to offers, valuing the Frenchman at €70m (around £59m), which would surely be a bargain.
rodri-spurs
Man City's star midfielder Rodri returned to individual training last week, with Guardiola revealing the Spaniard could be back in action this season, especially with the FIFA Club World Cup to come in June and July, having ruptured his ACL in September.
So, how do Rodri and Camavinga compare, and would they work as a midfield partnership?
Camavinga vs Rodri in league games (2022-present)
Statistics
Appearances
Minutes
Goals
Assists
Pass completion %
Progressive passes
Progressive carries
Ball recoveries
Interceptions
Tackles won
% of dribblers tackled
Touches per 90
All statistics courtesy of FBref.com
As the table outlines, in league matches since August 2022, Rodri does come out on top for most metrics.
Considering he's the Ballon d'Or holder, that should hardly be a surprise. That said, Camavinga has accumulated more tackles and is comparable when it comes to progressive carries, interceptions and pass completion.
That indicates that the Frenchman would certainly be well-suited to Guardiola's passing style of play.
Thus, unquestionably, the Frenchman would be an excellent signing for Man City, with all the statistics suggesting he could be a perfect Rodri partner, or at the very least certainly an upgrade on both Mateo Kovačić and İlkay Gündoğan.
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Man City must regret losing teen star in 2020 who is now shining.