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

It’s hard to pick out areas to improve given the abundance of talent on offer to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Nevertheless, the Spaniard wanted a new winger and a long-term replacement for Fernandinho in defensive midfield. The Citizens completed a £60m move for Riyad Mahrez and identified Napoli’s Jorginho as the ideal target.

City were frontrunners for his signature before Chelsea swooped at the last minute and sealed a deal to bring the Italian to Stamford Bridge. Losing Jorginho will be a massive blow to Guardiola who courted the 26-year-old all summer. Now, the ex-Barcelona boss must search for an alternative.

The perfect addition could be Borussia Dortmund wonderkid – Julian Weigl. Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, City are long-term admirers of the German, and the player himself was reportedly keen on making a switch to the Etihad. With Jorginho gone, there is no better time for Guardiola to make his move.

The 22-year-old was a key player for Dortmund last year, making 33 appearances in all competitions. It’s easy to see why Guardiola would want Weigl at City as he completed 86% of his passes in the Bundesliga last season (WhoScored) and his play style is similar to Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets. An extremely intelligent midfielder, he is the perfect long-term replacement for Fernandinho.

It would take a huge transfer fee to prise him from Dortmund, but City would complete their midfield for the next decade by bringing Weigl to the Premier League.

Manchester City fans, thoughts?