Looking to rebuild Pep Guardiola's midfield, Manchester City are now reportedly preparing to step up their deal to sign a £50m star who they want sealed and delivered by June 1.
Man City set for midfield rebuild
With Kevin De Bruyne's departure confirmed and stars such as Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva arguably past the peak of their powers, the focus for Manchester City this summer will be on their midfield.
Just how they replace three club legends in one summer is the big question. Already, both Morgan Gibbs-White and Florian Wirtz have been heavily linked with moves to The Etihad, but it seems as though the latter is destined to choose Bayern Munich rather than Guardiola's side. And whilst news has been more positive in the case of Gibbs-White, City will need more than one reinforcement in the middle of the park.
florian-wirtz-bayer-leverkusen
Replacing De Bruyne will be particularly difficult and the extent of the task at hand won't be lost on Guardiola, who told reporters after the midfielder announced that he would be leaving the club: "Kevin is not a vocal leader. He is a leader in that every day for nine years, except the last year and a half, being there helping the team.
“And his talent is unique, everyone knows it – he has the vision and the pass. When players are up front and Kevin has the ball, and he feels like this, they know they can run because the ball can be delivered."
Whilst there will be plenty of emotions on show as Manchester City exit an era full of success, this season's struggles have highlighted that now is the perfect time for fresh faces.
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Man City have now made an approach to sign a player who Liverpool have held talks with.
The Citizens, without Rodri, have been uncharacteristically poor in midfield, and the arrival of one particular player would likely help to put them back on track at the heart of Guardiola's side.
Man City set to step up Reijnders move
Although reports seemed to go quiet following a flurry of news revealing their interest, those at The Etihad are still reportedly interested in one Serie A star. According to TuttoMercatoWeb, as relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City are now set to step up their move to sign Tijjani Reijnders, which they want done when the window opens next Sunday, June 1, so they can take the midfielder to the Club World Cup.
Whether AC Milan will make negotiations that easy remains to be seen, however. No matter when a deal potentially takes place, Reijnders is unlikely to come cheap amid a reported €60m (£50m) price tag.
League stats 24/25 (via FBref) Tijjani Reijnders Bernardo Silva
Minutes 3,038 2,580
Goals 10 4
Progressive Carries 110 99
Ball Recoveries 115 102
The player who Reijnders could replace in Man City's midfield is Silva. The Portugal international has fallen away from his usual intensity this season and has been outperformed by the AC Milan star who could yet be on his way to Manchester.
A player who analyst Ben Mattinson previously praised for the "insane" level that he was performing at, Reijnders may soon complete his move in time to make his Man City debut at the Club World Cup.