Manchester City will be splashing the cash this summer, in a bid to get back on track after a poor 2024/25 season.
Pep Guardiola’s side ended up finishing second in the Premier League table, but way behind leaders Liverpool.
City also lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
The transfer window is now open for City to get to work rebuilding the squad, which was a process that started in January.
Several players could leave Manchester City, with Kevin De Bruyne already a confirmed departure.
Currently, a lot of the talk is about midfielders, with City targeting Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan. But it’s also thought City will be going after players for the wide areas, and a new report has suggested City have eyes on Bradley Barcola.
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Man City considering Bradley Barcola transfer
Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images
Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images
On Saturday night, Paris Saint-Germain blew everyone away as they demolished Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
It was one of the most one-sided finals in the competition’s history, with PSG running out 5-0 winners in Munich.
Most of the plaudits went the way of the goalscorers, with Desire Doue hitting a brace.
Midfielder Vitinha also put on a masterclass.
Fans almost saw Barcola score a stunning goal after some really nice trickery to work space in the box, but the French winger could not convert.
According to Caught Offside, Barcola is a player City have eyes on now heading into the summer.
They’ve been scouting him along with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, but any deal would be very expensive. The publication reports ‘sources close to PSG suggest that the French club values Barcola at over €100-120 million (£84-£101 million)’.
It’s not the first time Manchester City have been linked with Barcola, with interest being reported last summer.
A possible Jeremy Doku upgrade
Photo by Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Photo by Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
City were not good enough in the final third in 2024/25 and the wide players did not cover themselves in glory.
The interest in Barcola is intriguing. Arguably, the City winger he is most similar to is Jeremy Doku, with both players very quick off the mark and known for their dribbling.
The Belgian was a source of frustration for fans again in 2024/25, with even Thierry Henry recently urging Doku to improve creatively.
Doku for Man City (2024/25) Barcola for PSG (2024/25)
Appearances – 33 Appearances – 40
Goals – 6 Goals – 18
Assists – 8 Assists – 14
Shot accuracy – 29.7% Shot accuracy – 53.7%
Shot creating actions per 90 – 4.69 Shot creating actions per 90 – 4.17
He laid on eight assists for City, and scored six goals.
While these are decent numbers considering the season City had, Barcola’s for PSG were much better. He scored 18 goals and made 14 assists.
Some will argue that the Premier League is a step up from Ligue 1. But Barcola is undoubtedly a frightening talent, and it will be interesting to see if City swoop.