Manchester City are expected to be active in the market over the near future and could now beat rivals Manchester United to sign a teenage sensation who has excelled at the Under-17 World Cup.
Pep Guardiola will hope his side can strike up a bid to claim the Premier League title this season. However, they suffered a setback on the road to potential glory after falling to a defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
ruben-dias-man-city
Harvey Barnes' double cancelled out Ruben Dias' equaliser at St James' Park, albeit the Citizens were off colour in front of goal and were made to rue their missed chances, something Guardiola pointed out when speaking after the match.
He said: "Newcastle is a top side, top players, top manager, so unfortunately tonight we could not make the momentum that we had. It was an entertaining game, we both had chances, and then there was a momentum shift, and ultimately we couldn't win."
Ultimately, there is plenty of football still to be played and twists will occur before the Premier League title race starts to take a clear course. Still, Manchester City are now sitting adrift of Arsenal and Chelsea, which is something that needs to give over the next few weeks.
Man City's upcoming fixtures - all competitions
Bayer Leverkusen (H)
Leeds United (H)
Fulham (A)
Sunderland (H)
Real Madrid (A)
Nico O'Reilly's emergence into the Citizens' first-team and Matheus Nunes slotting in at right-back show that solutions are there to be stumbled upon for Guardiola, though you get the feeling January will be an important month to conclude meaningful business.
While bringing in senior players will be the priority, there may also be a focus on acquiring stars of the future at the Etihad Stadium amid recent developments.
Man City keen to sign Under-17 World Cup star Mohamed Zongo
According to Africa Foot, Man City are keen to sign Tenakourou Academy star Mohamed Zongo, who is also on the radar of Manchester United, Villarreal and Anderlecht after giving an excellent account of himself at the Under-17 World Cup.
On the biggest stage within his age group, the 15-year-old registered two goals and three assists from an attacking midfield role, and the Citizens have now initiated talks alongside the trio mentioned.
Labelled "magic" by Under-23 football scout Antonio Mango, he may become the next exciting gem in a long line at Manchester City, though no club has reached an agreement after his exploits at the youth World Cup.
Either way, beating Manchester United to his signature would be a signal of intent by Manchester City as they build for the future at the Etihad Stadium.
Man City & Pep now keen on Real Madrid star with Erling Haaland swap possible