Manchester City are known to be quite active in transfer windows, especially in the main, summer window of the season. This time around, however, they have seen more departures from the club than arrivals so far, which is especially surprising considering we are more than a month into the transfer window.
Despite rising concerns among the Citizens, they have been linked to quite a few players and in the week post the Euros we might possibly be seeing quite a few moves in the transfer window. Read on to know City’s transfer targets and links this window.
Jack Grealish
Rising to fame with Aston Villa last season, Jack Grealish fast became the darling of England with 1 goal and 12 assists for the Villains all season. Shining just as brightly at the ongoing Euros as well, Grealish has 2 assists in 4 starts at the competition. With Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva linked with a move away from the club and Riyad Mahrez entering the latter phase of his career, Jack Grealish has been identified as a suitable signing to make this summer.
The Englishman’s flair and creative prowess would only make City a stronger force than before, which is a scary prospect for their opponents. Manchester City reached a semifinal, a final and won two out of the four competitions that they were a part of last season, so adding one of Premier League’s most potent creators would only improve them further. In fact, many reports suggest that a deal is already in place for the winger, with the fee reported to be in the region of €100 million
Denis Zakaria
The 24-year-old Denis Zakaria has long been a target on Manchester City’s list as a long term replacement for Fernandinho. Despite already employing Spain’s Rodri as their potential long-term defensive midfielder, Zakaria would add that energy and dynamism to their midfield that Rodri lacks. However, Arsenal are also said to be interesting in the Swiss midfielder, with Zakaria too reportedly keen to make an exit from Mönchengladbach. With just 12 months left on his contract, the player would not make much of a dent on the Premier League clubs’ transfer budget.
In fact, Manchester City played against Zakaria’s Borussia Monchengladbach in the round-of-sixteen stage of 2020/21’s Champions League, outclassing them 4-0 over two legs. Linked to Zakaria even before the clash, the midfielder’s slightly below-par performances have somewhat cooled the links between the club and player. Over the period of the last five months, his price tag too has gone down from €40 million to his current €30 million, according to Transfermarkt.
Antoine Griezmann and Harry Kane
Manchester City went the whole of last season without a recognised #9, with both their strikers Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus suffering long term injuries. Employing a false 9 system with great success, Pep Guardiola used the attacking options available to him brilliantly in order to cope with the lack of a focal point in attack.
All of Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Fode, Bernardo Silva were employed in that gap in the frontline at some point in the season, with a fluid front three system even seeing players switch roles mid-match. Despite experiencing success, City would be expected to sign a pure striker, especially with their star striker Sergio Aguero leaving.
Harry Kane is the most probable transfer currently, with the striker already handing in his transfer request to Tottenham and Manchester City reportedly having submitted a €100m bid for the England captain. However, Daniel Levy could prove to be a stumbling block with his stubborn desire to retain players. Antoine Griezmann, on the other hand, could be bought from a financially handicapped FC Barcelona for much less than what his previous transfer fee was. Fans speculate that the forward’s ability on the ball and intelligent movement would suit Pep Guardiola’s system very well, but his high wage demands could prove to be a deterrent.
Also Read: Five best Manchester City players in the 2020-21 season
