Manchester City fans in the Transfer Tavern are hoping for more of the same next season after a dominant year in the Premier League.
The Citizens cruised to the title, finishing 19 points ahead of rivals Manchester United. Pep Guardiola also added the Carabao Cup to his trophy cabinet earlier in the season. Despite their success, the Spaniard is not completely satisfied with his squad and wants to add two major signings in the summer window. Napoli’s Jorginho and Riyad Mahrez are set to seal moves in the coming days.
It’s hard to pick out improvements in the City squad at the moment due to the abundance of talent available to the former Barcelona manager. Many of their key players are approaching the tail end of their careers meaning Guardiola would be wise to start building for the future. If City want to continue dominating the Premier League, they need to replace their ageing stars.
Therefore, City must make a move to sign Ajax midfielder – Frenkie De Jong. Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old is the latest graduate from the club’s famed youth academy. He made 22 appearances in the Eredivisie last season, notching eight assists. He is a natural centre midfield but can also play in defensive midfield and even centre-back. De Jong would be a long-term replacement for Fernandinho.
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The Dutchman would struggle for game time if he moved to the Etihad Stadium, but City can’t afford to allow another top European side to land his signature. Barcelona are reportedly interested in De Jong, seeing him as the long-term successor to Sergio Busquets.
Guardiola needs to do everything in his power to sign De Jong before his price tag increases. A smart move would be to loan him back to Ajax for a year to continue his development until space is free in the City midfield.
Manchester City fans, thoughts?
