Manchester City begin their season in the Community Shield this weekend – with uncertainty about what their midfield is going to look like for the 2026-27 campaign.
City have recruited Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest this summer but look highly likely to lose linchpin Rodri.
The Spaniard is wanted by Barcelona, who have made bids for the 30-year-old after he was previously being linked with Real Madrid.
Decisions to make
Rodri only has one year left on his contract but Barcelona’s initial offer was reported to be less than £40m – understandably turned down, for a man who won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and was crucial in Spain winning the World Cup this summer.
Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott knows that his departure would be a big blow to the club, but thinks his World Cup performances should be reflected in the fee.
“The length of contract plays a huge part – if he’s got three years left, I doubt he’s available, and he’s definitely not £35m,” Lescott told FFT.
“But he definitely didn’t do the club any harm in the fee he warrants, after his World Cup performances.
“He’d be a huge loss for City if decided to leave – he’s a top quality player, probably the best at his role.”
Manchester City have been strongly linked with Morocco’s World Cup star Ayyoub Bouaddi and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez as possible replacements for Rodri, with Lescott suspecting the latter may be the better fit to step directly into the Spaniard's shoes right now.
“I haven’t seen a lot of Bouaddi but Enzo can obviously perform in the Premier League, so that would make more sense to me,” says the pundit for TNT Sports, who will be screening live coverage of Sunday’s Community Shield.
“I don’t think there’s a bad option or a bad decision, because they're both top quality players, but if you were to pick one of them, you’d probably say Enzo due to the fact that there’s no culture change – he’s already experienced and that’s a big factor.”
"Arsenal are the favourites"
As well as the likely loss of Rodri, Manchester City also go into the season without Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal are their opponents in the Community Shield – being played at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, because Wembley has been booked up by The Weeknd – and Lescott thinks the Gunners start the campaign as favourites to win the Premier League again.
“It's going to be difficult for City, with the fact that Pep’s not there,” he says. “And just generally – if Pep was there, I would still have said Arsenal were the favourites due to them being champions.
“And I think they’re favourites even more so now with all the factors that might be difficult for City – new manager, new players.
“Arsenal are the team that are most used to things – their manager’s been in charge for seven years, their players and their squad has been the same, they got to the final of the Champions League last year and won the league.
“All the things that are potential obstacles, they’ve experienced before, so I would say Arsenal are the favourites.”
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