Nico Gonzàlez could prove to be a shrewd signing for Manchester City if they can land the midfielder

All of a sudden it appears that FC Porto midfielder Nico Gonzàlez is the player that Manchester City want to strengthen their midfield. Fabrizio Romano has reported via X that City have made a formal approach to sign Gonzàlez from FC Porto. It remains to be seen if City can negotiate a deal with FC Porto for the impressive young midfielder. But if they can he could prove to be a shrewd signing based on what he has shown with his play for the Portuguese giants.

Nico Gonzàlez has all of the tools required to thrive at Manchester City.

Take away the obvious need for any midfielder to play for Manchester City to have tremendous technical ability, they must also possess the versatility to play in multiple roles. The ability of a player to play multiple roles in midfield is a skill that Guardiola values highly. Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan can all play in a variety of roles in midfield. Even Rodri gets forward from the number 6 position for Manchester City. This is an attribute that forms a strong part of the game of Nico Gonzàlez. He can play as a holding midfielder, or as a number 8 or behind a striker in the number 10 role. You can already see there why Manchester City would want to add Gonzàlez to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Physically and tactically Gonzàlez has the necessary traits in this regard to thrive for Manchester City. He is a clever player and that stands out when he plays. The FC Porto midfielder knows where to be when his team is out of possession. This helps him become an asset when winning the ball back for his team. Pep Guardiola’s side is in desperate need of this type of player. Too often we have seen City’s midfield cut through this season. It was on show against Club Brugge earlier this week. If they can sign Nico Gonzàlez he would help tremendously in this regard. The young midfielder also times his challenges well and is strong in a challenge. Those skills would be of immense value to Pep Guardiola and his team.

The FC Porto is also blessed with tremendous technical ability.

Nico Gonzàlez is also blessed with tremendous technical ability. That is no surprise, given the fact that he has come through Barcelona’s famed youth system. His passing ability stands out when he plays. The FC Porto midfielder can play every type of pass and that attribute would see him immediately add something different to City’s midfield. Gonzàlez also can score goals as evidenced by the fact he has scored 7 goals this season for FC Porto. He has a similar ability to that of Ilkay Gundogan in his prime of arriving late into the box. When you look at the complete package of Gonzàlez as a player you can see why City would want to sign him to strengthen their midfield.

Summary

All told, Nico Gonzàlez could prove to be a shrewd signing by Manchester City if they could sign the talented young midfielder. But it may not be an easy deal to negotiate with FC Porto. Ben Jacobs has reported via X that Porto does not want to lose such a key player so late in the transfer window. That is understandable based on how important Gonzàlez is to the Portuguese giants. It is also included in Jacobs’s report that Manchester City do not plan to trigger the €60 million release clause in Gonzàlez’s contract.

But you do get the sense that City may have to. If they do want to land a player who’d fill gaping hole in their squad Manchester City may just have to bite the bullet and pay the release clause. Nico Gonzàlez is the type of player they are screaming out for. Now we wait to see if City will land the midfielder they’ve needed ever since Rodri went down injured in September.