Report: Manchester City closes in on deal with Atlético Madrid’s Rodri

Bayern Munich transfer target Rodrigo Hernandez (aka Rodri) might be nearing a deal with Manchester City per a report from Spanish outlet El País. The Atlético Madrid defensive midfielder is allegedly discussing a contract with Pep Guardiola and the rest of the Manchester City brass now as the Citizens are said to be activating Rodri’s release clause.

Per the report from El País:

After about a month evaluating his decision, Rodrigo Hernández (Madrid, 22 years old) has chosen Manchester City to continue his career. Rodrigo has chosen where he wants to play for years to come. He believes that his place in football and his progression are more bearable and more feasible in a team led by Pep Guardiola than in one trained by Diego Pablo Simeone. City, which has been chosen ahead of Atletico, Bayern Munich, PSG and Manchester United, will pay the 70 million euro (release) clause.

In addition, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano backed up the report from El País:

Bayern has been looking at Rodri to potentially be a part of the defensive midfield mix, which currently includes Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martínez. Should Rodri officially sign with Manchester City, Bayern’s attention might shift quickly back to other potential targets like Manchester City’s Leroy Sane, Hertha Berlin’s Niklas Stark, or RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner.

An interesting side note to this story could be how accurate Romano is with his report. As one of the primary journalists who has been tied into the Sane saga, Romano and Bild’s Christian Falk had a minor row with dueling reports on the Sane-to-Bayern rumors a few weeks ago.

If the Rodri moves goes through, perhaps Romano is more tied into the inner-workings of Manchester City than originally thought.