Newcastle open talks to sign Nico González from Man City after Rodri's Barcelona move

Newcastle United have opened exploratory talks with Manchester City over the potential signing of midfielder Nico González, The Athletic reports, as the Magpies look to address the void left by the departures of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães from St James’ Park.

González, 24, arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Porto in January 2025 for £52m to provide midfield cover following Rodri’s ACL injury. He made 41 appearances across the season but started only twice after January, including the final fixture of the campaign when Pep Guardiola fielded several fringe players.

The move comes after Rodri’s departure to Barcelona was confirmed, further reshaping City’s midfield options. Newcastle are reported to be confident they can offer González the regular playing time he was unable to secure at City, with The Athletic noting he is among several targets the club are exploring.

Despite his limited starts, González was publicly upbeat about life at City. “I’m happy here,” he said earlier this year. “I don’t want to leave and I think the club wants me to stay.”

He also showed philosophical acceptance of the competition for places: “I don’t think any player has the position guaranteed for all the matches. Everyone has to work hard. We are one of the best teams in the world, and obviously, there is competition in every position.”

González did make a notable impact when called upon, scoring a late winner against Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final to help City reach Wembley, though he was left out of the starting XI for the final itself. “Every chance I got I tried my best,” he said after the final. “If we win, I’m happy. My dream is to win trophies.”

A product of Barcelona’s La Masia academy, González made 37 appearances for the Barça senior side during the 2021-22 season before moving to Porto. At City, he was deployed primarily as a box-to-box midfielder — a different profile to the deep-lying, game-controlling role Rodri occupied.

Newcastle’s interest underlines the scale of their midfield rebuild following the exits of Tonali and Guimarães, two of the club’s most influential players in recent seasons.