Manchester City are looking to mount a Premier League title challenge this term, and Pep Guardiola has personally requested a signing that would make headlines across Europe, per a report.
Manchester City continue squad refresh ahead of new campaign
Despite being involved in the Club World Cup, the Citizens have only been able to enjoy a short break and now find themselves firmly in preparatory mode for the new campaign.
Last week, James Trafford became Manchester City’s sixth summer signing for £27 million, marking his return to the Etihad Stadium from Burnley, where he will likely assume the number one jersey between the sticks.
Speaking after his arrival, Micah Richards believes Ederson will be a hard act to follow for Trafford once he settles into life under Guardiola’s way of playing, which requires elite-level distribution.
He stated: “We keep talking about tactics and systems and all that sort of thing, Ederson with his feet, he’s the best I’ve ever seen in the Premier League with his feet without doubt.”
“Trafford, he’s a really good shotstoppper, isn’t he and with his feet, he can do it, I’ve seen clips but he’s not just as elegant as Ederson and it takes a little bit longer. Ederson takes a touch and bang! Obviously, he’s got a lot to live up to but in terms of shotstopping, he’s really good, he’s got my backing.”
Man City’s summer arrivals so far – name and club signed from
Sverre Nypan
Rosenborg
James Trafford
Burnley
Rayan Ait-Nouri
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rayan Cherki
Lyon
Marcus Bettenelli
Chelsea
Tijjani Reijnders
AC Milan
Guardiola continues to build his squad and could look to add West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta at Manchester City after he was cleared of any wrongdoing for alleged spot-fixing.
With overtaking their domestic rivals to claim the title firmly on the Citizens’ radar, they are now ready to go all out to bring in a world-renowned winger this summer.
Man City set to go all out for AC Milan star Rafael Leao
According to reports in Spain, Manchester City are set to go all out to sign AC Milan winger Rafael Leao, who has been personally requested by Guardiola as he looks to add another dimension to his attack.
After identifying the Portugal international as a high-profile solution on the Citizens’ left-hand side, the outlet claims that an £87 million bid could be put forward to try and tempt him away from San Siro.
Dubbed “extraordinary” by Max Allegri after AC Milan’s recent 4-2 friendly victory over Liverpool, Leao registered 12 goals and 13 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions.
Viewed as someone who could add an extra level of ‘explosiveness’ at the Etihad Stadium, the 27-year-old hasn’t publicly expressed his desire to seek a new challenge, though one wonders whether he would be tempted if an official offer were to materialise.
Either way, Manchester City seem intent to build a side capable of mounting a serious title challenge and Leao joining would be a major step on the right track.
