The Manchester City fans here in the Transfer Tavern have been pretty disgruntled that their team have not been able to reclaim the Premier League title, something that they have now not claimed for the last two seasons.
The Citizens faithful are satisfied that the club remain in contention to collect their first Champions League title, but the incoming Pep Guardiola will be briefed to do better domestically next season when he arrives at the club.
City are expected to welcome a glut of signings to the Etihad Stadium in the summer, and the contingent of supporters here in the Tavern are relishing the prospect of seeing some of the world’s finest talents grace the club.
Some massive names have been linked in various reports, with a reported sum of £150 million ready to be splashed on new talents.
Our writer Lee Clarke sat down with a pint of the landlord’s best real ale and picked FIVE players who Guardiola should sign with his transfer kitty in the summer……
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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FIVE PLAYERS!
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Mario Gotze
Quite remarkably it doesn’t appear that new Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti rates the Germany star, with a move seemingly on the cards this summer.
Pep could offer Gotze an immediate chance to link back up with him at City and the forward would be a real coup for any Premier League club.
The type of player who would thrive in a team which oozes world class talent, Gotze could take the Premier League by storm and could be the cog that makes City a real force in the division.
The beauty of this signing would be the fee as Gotze probably won’t cost much, such is Munich’s desire to offload the player.
Aymeric Laporte
The 21-year-old defender is a real talent and he looks destined to leave Athletic Bilbao during the summer.
Despite his tender years Laporte has already got around 170 first-team appearances under his belt, such is the central defender’s potential.
A France under-21 international, Laporte has been watched by Guardiola on numerous occasions and he looks set to peruse a deal for the youngster in the summer.
City are crying out for a defensive recruit and in particular at the heart of the back four, where the team is overly reliant on the form of Vincent Kompany.
Ilkay Gundogan
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder is rated highly by Pep Guardiola, who it is thought tried to sign the player for his Munich side last summer.
The 25-year-old boasts over 100 appearances for Dortmund and over the years he has shown tremendous loyalty, at a time when some of his team-mates haven’t.
Getting him out of Dortmund will not be easy but the lure of a challenge in a new league and the chance to work with Guardiola could be too difficult to resist.
City will lose Yaya Toure in the summer and Gundogan could act as a direct replacement for the Ivorian.
John Stones
Another young central defender who City could try and sign is John Stones, with reports seeming to confirm that Guardiola is a fan of Stones’ ability.
The 21-year-old has caught the eye of Real Madrid and Barcelona with certain performances this season and whilst he isn’t the finished article, he is certainly a young man who possesses massive potential.
Stones is very ‘European’ in his style and he prefers the modern art of playing out from the back, which is exactly the sort of defender that Pep likes to have in his side.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The impressive striker has notched an irresistible 34 goals from 41 appearances this season and has the whole world currently monitoring his situation.
Dortmund are not a club renowned for keeping hold of their prized assets and the Frenchman will be the subject of some high profile bids during the summer.
The 26-year-old would be perfect for taking some of the goal burden away from Argentinean striker Sergio Aguero.
A striker will be a must for Guardiola in the summer, with City’s form having a tendency to falter if Aguero should suffer an injury.
