Despite winning the league, Manchester City suffered a bittersweet end to their season after their comprehensive defeat against Chelsea in the Champions League Final & will look to reassert their authority firmly at the top.
While City did canter to the league title, they played the majority of the season without a striker or a specialist left-back and are expected to spend big in the transfer market once again this summer to fill up those gaps. With that in mind, here are three players Manchester City should sign this summer to help them continue their dominance in England and claim that elusive European crown.
1. HARRY KANE
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Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Value: £108 million
The signature of Harry Kane would help this Manchester City side evolve into their final boss version, arguably making them one of the most complete teams in the history of the Premier League. In 2020/21 it was Manchester City’s defensive solidity rather than their attacking prowess that won them the title, after playing without a striker for the majority of the season. Sergio Aguero’s fitness couldn’t be relied on and he has since then moved on to Barcelona while Gabriel Jesus seems destined to be the number two.
Signing Harry Kane would be the biggest statement of intent from the Manchester City owners since they bought the club over a decade ago which would have a seismic impact on English football. Reports suggest that Manchester City have already lodged a bid worth £100 million and are open to adding the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling as part of the deal. However, with three years left on his contract, Tottenham have made it clear that they have no intention to sell their best player and the Harry Kane transfer saga is set to dominate the headlines for the foreseeable future.
2. JACK GREALISH
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Club: Aston Villa
Value: £58.5 million
According to reports coming out of Manchester, players such as Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva are looking for a move away from the Etihad due to a lack of game time. If those moves do materialize, the one player Manchester City should sign to replace them is Aston Villa’s, Jack Grealish.
Grealish chose to stay another year at Villa last season, but at 25, now may be the perfect time for the Englishman to make that step up. Grealish was one of the most impressive players in the league last season and would thrive in a Pep Guardiola system alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden.
The Englishman would add even more dynamism to this City side while cutting in from the left-hand side. Grealish is a silky dribbler with the ball sticking to his feet like a magnet, and can easily beat a defender in a 1v1 or even 1v2 situations. This adds another layer of unpredictability to Manchester City’s attack and would make them clear title favourites for next season.
3. NUNO MENDES
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Club: Sporting Lisbon
Value: £36 million
The left-back position has been a bone of contention for Pep Guardiola since he arrived in 2016. With injuries hampering the fitness and athleticism of Benjamin Mendy, the likes of Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko have deputised at left-back for City. While both of them have performed admirably, it isn’t their preferred position and signing a specialist to play on that side should be high on City’s priority list this summer.
City’s number one target to fill this position should be the Portuguese left-back, Nuno Mendes. Mendes burst onto the scene last season, becoming the youngest player to start for Sporting Lisbon since Cristiano Ronaldo and is widely regarded as one of the best young left-backs in the world. Mendes played a key role in Sporting’s title victory in 20/21 and his mixture of speed, athleticism and dribbling earned him a place in Portugal’s Euro 2020 squad at the age of 18.
While it is unlikely City can afford to sign all three players if not for some significant sales, the reports coming out of the Etihad suggest that Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are keen to freshen up the squad to stay one step ahead of their challengers.
*All values according to Transfermarkt.com
[Image Credit: Harry Kane]
Shivaan Shah