Man City 'line up £50.3m January bid for midfield star' as they look to solve Rodri injury issue - after Premier League rivals failed to sign the Euros winner in the summer

Manchester City are plotting a £50.3million bid for a midfield star in a bid to solve their Rodri issue, according to a report.

City have been in a mini crisis of late results-wise, having lost four games in a row for the first time in nearly 20 years and for the first time in manager Pep Guardiola 's coaching career.

They are five points behind rivals Liverpool in the Premier League table as they bid to win the trophy for the fifth time in a row - which would extend their current record - and have been struggling in Rodri's absence.

The Ballon d'Or winner is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury earlier in the campaign, and City are struggling to replace him in the form of the likes of Mateo Kovacic.

But they could, according to The Sun , use the January transfer window to try and fix the issue, by making a move for a player Liverpool came close to signing in the summer.

That player is Martin Zubimendi, who came close to moving to Anfield in the off-season before opting to stay with Real Sociedad in a shock U-turn.

Selected as the eventual replacement for the departed Fabinho in the defensive midfield role, he had given Liverpool his word but backtracked after a charm offensive from Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil.

Failing to sign Zubimendi left Liverpool somewhat in the lurch as he was their top summer target and they wanted a long-term successor to Fabinho, who left for Saudi Arabia in 2023, but Ryan Gravenberch has impressed in the No 6 role this season.

Reports since have suggested that Zubimendi has again changed his mind, though, and has called for Premier League clubs to try and sign him, and he could soon get his apparent wish in the form of City.

The 25-year-old knows the role having played it regularly in Spain, and also at national team level, where he is the deputy for Rodri.

He replaced Rodri at half time in Spain's Euro 2024 final win over England, and has 13 caps in total for his country at senior level.

A move would also develop the prospect of the two Spaniards potentially playing together in midfield when Rodri returns from his injury next season.

But for now, though Guardiola is not often keen to do business in the winter, he could make the move in a bid to give City a lifeline in their hopes of remaining competitive this season.

Speaking on why he rejected a £52m move to Liverpool in the summer, Zubimendi told Marca : 'I didn't have any pressure from my close circle.

'My friends are clear that whatever I decide, it will be the best. There is no pressure at all.

'Real Sociedad for me is my life, I think I've been in there for half my life. A lot of what I am is part of Real, it's my life,' he added.

Liverpool did not sign another midfielder in the summer, instead bringing in just forward Federico Chiesa and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.