Manchester City supporters have been slightly quieter in the Transfer Tavern in the last few days after seeing their side draw 1-1 at Burnley on Saturday, thus seeing their lead at the top of the Premier League cut to 13 points.
Pep Guardiola’s men went into their clash with the Clarets off the back of beating West Brom 3-0 in their previous outing, a result which moved them 15 points clear of neighbours Manchester United. And the Citizens had the chance to extend their lead to 18 points in the early kick-off on Saturday, but they had to settle for a share of the spoils as a Johann Berg Gudmundsson strike eight minutes from time preserved a point for Sean Dyche’s side after Danilo’s excellent first half effort gave City the lead.
Subsequently, there has been a lot less noise from Citizens fans in the Tavern in recent times, although Guardiola’s side remain heavy favourites to secure the Premier League title come the end of the season.
In the meantime though, there has been plenty for our resident City supporters to get their teeth into, not least recent reports linking them with a summer move for Real Madrid midfielder Isco.
The 25-year-old has struggled for regular first team football under Zinedine Zidane in the last few weeks, starting just 14 of their 21 La Liga matches so far this term – this all despite their hugely underwhelming campaign in the Spanish top-flight to the point that Champions League qualification is far from a given.
And reports suggest that teammate Cristiano Ronaldo reckons that the Spain international could make the move to City in the summer, and were Isco to indeed link up with Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, here are TWO other stars who could join him…
Fred
Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City during the winter window, only for no deal to materialise prior to the January 31 deadline.
The 24-year-old made the move to the Ukrainian giants back in 2013 and has since proven his worth with 142 appearances for the club, in which time he has bagged 13 goals and laid on 12 assists.
And the Brazil international appears to be the ideal long-term replacement for compatriot Fernandinho, also an ex-Shakhtar player, at the Etihad Stadium, as Guardiola seeks the sort of signings that could see his side dominate English football for years to come.
And given the repeated links with Fred during January, a summer move is likely in the offing for the 24-year-old.
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez was the subject of multiple late bids from Manchester City during the January transfer window, but Leicester City stood firm to ensure that the Algeria international remained at the club after the deadline.
However, the 26-year-old handed in a transfer request late on in the window to try and get his move to the Etihad Stadium, and has since then failed to report to training with the Midlands outfit to underline his desire to leave the club.
As such, City could well seek a summer move for the winger, who has netted eight goals and laid on seven assists for Claude Puel’s side this season in their run to eighth place in the Premier League table.
