Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are looking at Liverpool target Alan Varela as an ideal cover for injured Rodri.
According to Football Transfers via Fichajes, Manchester City could make a move for the services of FC Porto midfield sensation Alan Varela when the transfer window reopens in January. Pep Guardiola’s team see him as an ideal cover for the injured Rodri and they could look to prise him away from Portugal.
Varela came up the ranks at Boca Juniors and made a name for himself while playing for their first team before joining Porto in the summer of 2023. He has taken his game to the next level in the last 18 months and multiple top clubs are keen on signing the 23-year-old.
The Argentine defensive midfielder has become one of the mainstays at Porto and his consistent performances haven’t gone unnoticed. Liverpool are one of the clubs that have been linked with Varela. The Reds were looking for a defensive midfielder during the summer and the Boca Juniors graduate was on their wishlist.
While they didn’t make any concrete moves for him back then, it seems Manchester City are all set to prise him away during the upcoming winter transfer window. City do have an all-bases covered squad that doesn’t really need reinforcement.
City could look at Varela to cover for Rodri
But, a serious injury to Rodri has forced them to look into the market. While they are still trying to cover for him with the options they have got. Rico Lewis has stepped into a midfield role while the returning Ilkay Gundogan is also trying his best to help out Guardiola. They still might need an out-and-out defensive midfielder.
One of the names that has been tipped to replace Rodri is Varela. While his contract with Porto runs until the summer of 2028, there is a £60 million release clause in his contract which could lead to a departure in the winter.
Triggering the clause is not a big deal for City as they already have around £80 million to spend in January thanks to Julian Alvarez’s big-money move to Atletico Madrid. Varela has all the qualities needed to fit into Guardiola’s system but the decision to sign a cover won’t be that straightforward and it will depend on their performance until the turn of the calendar.
