Manchester City are searching for a new defensive midfielder this summer.

It’s hard to pick out improvements given the abundance of talent available to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. The Citizens cruised to the Premier League title in the Spaniard’s second season in England and also lifted the Carabao Cup. Guardiola has made just one significant signing this summer – landing Riyad Mahrez from Leicester for £60m.

City still want to sign a defensive midfielder this summer as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho. Guardiola highlighted Napoli’s Jorginho as the perfect alternative but the Italian chose to sign for Chelsea at the last minute. Therefore, the ex-Barcelona boss must pursue other targets.

An incredible signing would be Real Madrid dynamo – Casemiro. Valued at £54m by Transfermarkt, the Brazilian joined Madrid back in 2013 from Sao Paulo but was loaned to Porto to find regular game time. Since then, he developed into a key player at the Bernabeu during Zinedine Zidane’s reign as manager.

He made 30 appearances in La Liga, scoring five goals and notching eight assists for his team-mates. He also played 12 times in the Champions League, Madrid lifting the trophy for the third consecutive season.

Casemiro is the perfect defensive midfielder for Guardiola’s system. The 26-year-old is physically strong, great in a tackle but also has a fine range of passing. Madrid are unlikely to part with their star midfielder on the cheap if they allow Luka Modric to leave the club. However, City need to make the move if they want to retain their Premier League trophy.

Manchester City fans, thoughts?