Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has asked the club to sign RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic and West Ham’s Declan Rice, according to The Athletic‘s Sam Lee.
The journalist believes that the trio of names were given to City’s hierarchy at the start of June and the treble winners are now in negotiations to sign all three before the start of the season.
Fans on Twitter are happy that the club are going all out to sign the players that Guardiola wants, but many have been left wondering why there are no wingers on the shortlist:
Man City's gonna be an unstoppable force with Kovacic, Gvardiol and Rice on board. Pep is always one step ahead of the game!" 🔥🔥🔥 Please have a look at my bio
— I WRIGHT😘 (@IWRIGHT639574) June 26, 2023
No winger??
— Cam (@Kev1nDeBru7ne) June 26, 2023
Pep really knows what he wants. If we pull this three, our midfield is covered and defense solidified. The the flanks, we have Grealish/Foden on the left and Mahrez/Bernardo on the right. This is more than enough.
— City Focus (@Akolam_Inc) June 27, 2023
So,no winger then
— Prince (@Prince76262382) June 27, 2023
If Pep says we don’t need a winger then I believe him
— ⚡️ (@fatalmcfc) June 27, 2023
We need like 2 wingers man 😭
— tonia t (@ToniaTanno86422) June 27, 2023
I’m so happy believe me
— J👤 (@_mcfcjxmes) June 26, 2023
City could spend a massive amount this summer
If Lee’s reporting is accurate and those three players are indeed the primary targets, then we could be looking at the Premier League champions shelling out in excess of £200m on new signings.
Kovacic is expected to cost £30m (including add-ons), while West Ham are not going to sell Rice for a penny less than £100m. RB Leipzig, meanwhile, are holding out for £86m to offload Gvardiol, although City are still hoping to agree a fee for below that amount.
The winger situation is something that needs to be addressed
With Bernardo Silva’s future uncertain and Riyad Mahrez having also been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, there is a danger that City could be left short of options out wide.
Jack Grealish and Phil Foden can, of course, do a job as wingers, but they do lack pace and that is an area where supporters feel the squad could improve. We shall see if Guardiola does add a fourth player to his shortlist of targets if either Silva or Mahrez leaves.
