-
Moises Llorens, Barcelona correspondent
City Football Group (CFG) is considering signing Liverpool Montevideo star Luciano Rodriguez, sources told ESPN.
Manchester City's ownership group could offer the Uruguayan club a transfer fee of 15 million euros (approximately $16.3 million), with sources telling ESPN that they would like to buy the 20-year-old striker to complete the deal. He said he was prepared to pay an additional 3 million euros.
However, this deal is complicated by the fact that Liverpool Montevideo controls 80% of his services, and the remaining 20% belongs to the player.
– Stream on ESPN+: La Liga, Bundesliga and more (US)
Rodriguez was linked with a move to Feyenoord and River Plate a few months ago and is included in Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay squad for the next game against Ivory Coast, but he is yet to make his debut for the senior national team.
CFG has been monitoring Rodriguez for some time and, according to sources, is looking to sign other world footballers, such as Julián Álvarez and Claudio Echeverri, who is on loan at River despite being City's owner. There is a possibility that they will follow the same path.
If Rodriguez were to join City Group, he would be loaned out to smaller clubs in the group, such as Girona, before eventually joining Premier League side Man City, sources said.
Girona have been a hot topic in La Liga this season and could be a good first landing spot in Europe for Rodriguez, especially if they qualify for next season's Champions League.
Savio, who is proving to be one of Girona's stars, is an example of this policy. The Brazil international has signed with City Group and is linked with a move to City in the near future after spells at French side Troyes and now Girona, with sources telling ESPN that the current English champions are closely monitoring his development. He said he is keeping a close eye on it.
Information from ESPN's Rob Dawson contributed to this report.
