Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the club won’t spend over the odds to secure a long-term replacement for Fernandinho.

The Brazilian turns 34 in May and reports have linked City with Wolves’ Ruben Neves as a possible signing to take over from the veteran midfielder.

However, it is believed that the Portuguese international would only be sold for £100m; a figure that Guardiola says is way out of the club’s price range:

“It’s not difficult – there are many who can play in that position. There are many clubs in the world, many holding midfielders in the world, and most of them can play here. That’s not the point. Most of them are under contracts. A month ago, I started reading – ‘Ruben Neves, £100million’. That is not going to happen, we are not going to pay £100million for a holding midfielder.”

Other players that have been mentioned as possible alternatives have been the likes of Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele and Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong.

Neither of these players would come cheap either. Ndombele is said to be valued at €80m (£71m) while Ajax are believed to want €75m (£67m) for de Jong. Whether such figures would be deemed acceptable for City, it remains to be seen.

It’s fair to say that none of the three players would be a like-for-like replacement for Fernandinho. The Brazilian’s unique skill set of both defensive and attacking qualities have proved vital to the Citizens over the years.