Manchester City will be active in the upcoming transfer windows and TEAMtalk sources have confirmed that a new midfielder is their priority, but there’s an acceptance that they’ll have to strengthen on multiple fronts.
Pep Guardiola’s side have lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions and dropped to fifth in the Premier League table – something that was unimaginable last season – and the board are ready to back the manager in January with reinforcements to help them at worst qualify for the Champions League.
Reports have suggested that Guardiola has been given £200million to spend next month but TEAMtalk understands that there is no concrete number, although Pep will be backed.
Man City have announced club record revenues of £715million in their latest accounts, while they’ll also receive between £40million and £60million as a minimum for participation in the Club World Cup, so they’re in a very strong position with regards to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) – even with 130 alleged rule breaches from previous seasons hanging over them.
TEAMtalk sources have confirmed that City have several outfield priorities – but their main target is to bring in a new midfielder, to cover for Rodri’s absence due to injury and revamp in the centre of the park in the longer run.
We understand that the two main midfield targets to watch are Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, while Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is also on their radar.
However, it will be far from straightforward to lure the trio from their respective clubs this winter.
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Man City were willing to pay £70m for Guimaraes last summer
Newcastle have taken a very strong stance on Guimaraes that he isn’t going anywhere in January. Sources state that City made a verbal enquiry late in the summer window to ask about a deal for the midfielder; whether a transfer could be agreed for around £70million.
The Magpies at the time were scrambling to sell players to ensure they came in line with PSR. They were ultimately able to sell Yankuba Minteh (Brighton) and Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), which got them over the line, and had lined up Anthony Gordon to join Liverpool as a last resort option. City, therefore, were clearly told nothing was possible for Guimaraes at the time.
However, the fact that the Cityzens made an approach for Guimaraes last summer tells you that they are still very attentive to his situation.
TEAMtalk understands that City are currently Guimaraes’ most active suitors.
Man City keeping tabs on Zubimendi, Wharton
Zubimendi came close to joining Liverpool this past summer after the Reds agreed to match the €60million (£50.1m, $66.7m) release clause in his contract, but the defensive midfielder ultimately rejected the switch to Anfield to stay with Real Sociedad.
It would take a U-turn from the player to leave Sociedad in January so a move is more likely for him next summer. He’s also on City’s shortlist and they could compete with Liverpool for his signature.
Liverpool didn’t sign a new defensive midfielder and are still in the market for one and remain very interested in Zubimendi. City would have to convince him that a switch to the Etihad would suit him better. Liverpool felt they did all they could to sell the move to Zubimendi, and were optimistic at points, but Zubimendi is extremely attached to Sociedad and suitors know it will be an incredibly hard decision to leave the LaLiga club.
TEAMtalk understands that City are also keeping tabs on Palace star Wharton as they view the 20-year-old as someone who could fill in for Rodri in the short-term and be his long-term replacement.
Palace, however, are very reluctant to sell the England international mid-season and in any case, it’d take a bid of at least £60million to lure him away from Selhurst Park.
Guardiola wants Alvarez replacement
If we look ahead to next summer, a new goalkeeper could become a priority for City. Saudi Pro League clubs retain a concrete interest in Ederson, who received multiple offers to leave the Etihad this past summer.
There is also an acceptance that defensive reinforcements could become necessary as some of their current starters are past their prime.
Kyle Walker, 34, could also be subject of a Saudi Pro League offer at the end of this season, so City could look to bring in a new full-back, hence the recent links with Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong.
City are also keen to bring in someone who can play a similar role to the one Julian Alvarez did. This is a tough position to fill in many ways because Alvarez could take on the De Bruyne or Haaland role due to his versaility.
Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Kevin de Bruyne, but he is expected to sign a new contract extension soon, which will make a deal difficult to negotiate and expensive.
City are by no means panicking and they will wait until the right targets become available before making their move, even though it is true that they’ll have a sizeable budget in January. This is also because new sporting director Hugo Viana won’t officially start until the summer, even though he’s going to work with Txiki Begiristain in early 2025 as part of a transition period. Viana will be forward-planning for summer and remain attached to Sporting for the January window.
Sources suggest a big window is expected next summer as City look to overhaul their squad and give Guardiola the best chance to succeed in the 2025/26 campaign.
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