After losing out to Chelsea in the chase for midfielder Jorginho last season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is looking to find the right player to replace Fernandinho, who will turn 35 in the next season.
Atletico Madrid’s Rodri, Lyon’s Tanguy Ndmobele, and Real Madrid’s Marco Llorente have been linked with a move to the Etihad in the summer.
According to Manchester Evening News, it is understood that the Atletico’s midfield starlet, Rodri is the number one target to replace Fernandinho, but his high release clause of €70 million has forced City to look at Llorente as an option as well.
Llorente has made the grade from the Real Madrid B team to the senior side, and his loan spell at Alavés helped him acclimatise to the Spanish top-flight. At 24, he looks ready to make the move to the Premier League.
Llorente – What will he offer Manchester City?
Llorente managed to make just six starts in the league as his season was often interrupted by injuries. He also made a few appearances in the UEFA Champions League and Copa Del Rey (2 in each).
The 24-year old has featured as a central midfielder more often than not this season, but is a versatile player and can be deployed in a defensive midfield role owing to his strong defensive attributes.
Passing and tackling are strong traits in Llorente’s game, and his agility in midfield, and overall style of play, could eventually be an upgrade on what Fernandinho offers.
Llorente managed good defensive numbers of 2.3 tackles and one interception a game in La Liga for Real Madrid, and also showed that he can keep possession and recycle it well with a passing accuracy of 93.1%, something that will put him in good stead at Manchester City.
Fernandinho has been consistently good for Manchester City, and it will take Llorente a while to get up to speed in the Premier League and match the Brazilian’s performances.
From what we have seen so far at Real Madrid, though, the Spaniard has the tools to thrice in Guardiola’s set-up and eventually replace Fernandinho.
Ilkay Gundogan did a good job for Manchester City in Fernandinho’s absence, and Llorente can be chiselled for the role in the coming years.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
