Man City open talks for surprise Rodri replacement who Pep Guardiola called 'an unbelievable player'

Manchester City have opened talks for a surprise midfield reinforcement following Rodri's move to Barcelona being confirmed.

City splashed out a club-record £115 million to bring in Elliot Anderson earlier this summer as their only significant incoming.

However, there is a gaping hole in central midfield after Rodri signed for Barcelona in a £65.4 million deal.

The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner's departure is a seismic one and follows on from the exits of Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders, which leaves the team incredibly light in midfield.

In a recent update, David Ornstein of The Athletic reported that Nico Gonzalez could also be on the move - with Newcastle opening talks for the Spaniard after they lost both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in the same window.

READ MORE: Enzo Maresca's Man City mass exodus set to continue as talks opened for another sale

While Mateo Kovacic is staying put and started the Community Shield, City are lacking in midfield options.

And according to journalist Nicolo Shira, City are interested in Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and have opened talks with the Cherries.

Scott, who was called up to the England squad for the first time in November, has developed into one of the most sought-after midfielders in the Premier League and attracted interest from Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea.

Scott has a contract at Bournemouth which runs until 2028 and the South Coast outfit want him to be part of their exciting European adventure this season.

He is reportedly valued at around £80 million and does not currently have a release clause in his deal.

Scott played 37 times in the Premier League last season as Bournemouth finished sixth and showed his quality under Andoni Iraola.

But City have been well aware of his abilities for a long time, having come up against Scott in the FA Cup when he was a 20-year-old at Bristol City in the Championship.

Pep Guardiola, City's greatest ever manager, called Scott an "unbelievable player" in his press conference.

A year later, during an interview with The Mirror, Scott said the praise from Guardiola was "amazing".

Man City's midfield targets named as Enzo Maresca looks for reinforcements

As has been well-documented, City's top midfield target is Lille's 18-year-old sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi.

With 63 appearances in Ligue One to his name, Bouaddi already has a wealth of experience beyond his years and he starred at the World Cup with Morocco.

Bouaddi, who has been likened to both Sergio Busquets and Patrick Vieira, only switched allegiance from France just before the start of the tournament and made five appearances as Morocco reached the quarter-finals.

City's move for the wonderkid is said to be progressing and they are likely to pay around £85 million to secure his services.

They have also been heavily linked with Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez but the latest is that City have been put off by the Blues' hiking the Argentina international's price beyond £120 million.

City kick off the new Premier League season and the post-Guardiola era with a home game against Bournemouth on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.