Manchester City are now preparing an offer for an “amazing” Premier League player who is now among their priority targets, according to a report.
Man City’s torrid form
Pep Guardiola is going through his first real bad spell as manager of Man City, with his side winning just one of their last 12 matches in all competitions, and there is no sign of him being able to turn it around any time soon.
City fell to their third loss on the bounce when they visited Aston Villa on Saturday, and former goalkeeper Shay Given was particularly critical of the side’s performance, saying:
“They let all these young players leave the club and now he’s in a real rut, Pep Guardiola. Their legs are gone, they couldn’t match Villa physically, couldn’t match them tactically. They were miles off it so what happens next? That’s the question.”
Related
Man City submit opening bid to sign “energetic” £58m midfielder in 2025
Pep Guardiola is believed to be a big fan.
The only solution on the horizon for Guardiola is to be active in the January transfer window when it opens in just over a week, and the manager has set his sights on Atalanta midfielder Ederson dos Santos as one of his main targets.
With Rodri sidelined, City have experienced a significant dip in form which is now becoming a real crisis, so it is clear to see why Guardiola is so keen on a new central midfielder, but he is also looking at strengthening in other areas.
According to reports from Spain, a €80m (£66m) offer is being prepared by Man City for West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus after his impressive displays, in which he has been utilised in a number of different attacking positions.
The Ghanaian is capable of playing in attacking midfield, out wide, and even as a forward, and he has caught City’s eye to such an extent that he is now among Guardiola’s priority targets. West Ham have no interest in sanctioning the 24-year-old’s departure, but a huge offer could prove to be impossible to turn down.
Man City need to strengthen
Given that performances have been way below the standard for some time now, the only way out of this situation could be to bring in new reinforcements, and a new central midfielder is definitely required amid Rodri’s absence.
That said, Jack Grealish and Savinho have hardly set the world alight either, with the former providing zero goals and just two assists in all competitions, so a new winger could also be needed.
Kudus is particularly impressive at dribbling, ranking in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, and he provided 14 goal contributions in the Premier League last season.
Lauded as “amazing” by the media, the 24-year-old has proven himself in the Premier League, so he could be a fantastic signing for Man City, but it remains to be seen whether they are willing to fork out what would need to be a huge sum of money to get a deal over the line.
