Man City: Guardiola suggests $132m Bellingham swap deal as City ‘favourite’ to sign Real Madrid star

Pep Guardiola is reportedly keen on Manchester City signing England international Jude Bellingham as he ‘proposed’ a swap deal.

Bellingham Returned to action for England on Thursday night and impressed from the bench as Thomas Tuchel’s side beat Serbia 2-0 in their World Cup qualifier.

The Real Madrid midfielder has had a stop-start this season as injuries have taken their toll, but has picked up the pace in recent weeks as he has impressed for club and country.

Bellingham is a huge asset for Real Madrid and England, with the Spanish giants fending off competition from a number of Premier League sides to sign him in 2023 for a reported £88million.

Man City Among the clubs interested in signing him are reportedly keen to land Bellingham, with Guardiola reportedly pushing for his signature.

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A report by Spanish outlet Fitches claims that Guardiola has proposed a €150m ($132m) ‘exchange’ involving Bellingham and Rodri.

Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has been heavily linked with Real Madrid in recent years as he is a fan of the Spain international.

Rodri missed most of last season with an ACL injury, with the report claiming Guardiola feels the time is right to replace him as he is ‘obsessed’ with Bellingham.

It has also been noted that Guardiola is ‘confident’ Nico Gonzalez’s recent improvement could ‘facilitate’ Rodri’s exit, but Real Madrid are surprisingly keen to keep Bellingham.

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The report states:

‘Real Madrid are considering signing Rodri, but Florentino Perez has made his preference clear: Bellingham is not for sale. Xabi Alonso sees it as necessary to resolve the midfield problems that have characterized this season.

‘Bellingham’s relationship with City and Guardiola is a factor that could influence future negotiations. The Englishman, who has admired the Catalan coach since his time at Borussia Dortmund, would be a strategic signing for any team looking to dominate Europe. However, Real Madrid’s firm stance makes it clear that a transfer of this magnitude is highly unlikely, although not impossible. ‘

So, Man City could miss out on Bellingham, but another report from Fechazus says they are ‘favourites’ to sign Real Madrid winger Rodrigo next year.

Rodrigo is down the pecking order at Real Madrid and Man City are among the Premier League sides in the race to sign him.

It has also been noted that a deal in January or the summer could be around €60 million (€51 million).

The report claims: ‘Pep Guardiola’s club are leading the race for Rodrigo, thanks to its financial strength and a sporting plan that could be attractive to the Brazilian, putting him ahead of other suitors.’