Manchester City are considering their options having missed out on their primary target to strengthen the midfield – Jorginho. 

Having seen the now former Napoli man move to Premier League rivals Chelsea instead, there have been suggestions (the Times via City Watch) that manager Pep Guardiola would decide against pursuing a Jorginho alternative.

However, Italian outlet Tuttosport reports that may not be the case.

The Breakdown

The publication reports Guardiola has turned his attention to Juventus' Miralem Pjanic, who is valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt, although prizing the 28-year-old away from the Allianz Stadium will not be easy.

The Serie A champions are demanding an £80m fee for Pjanic, according to Tuttosport, as they look to recoup some cash after splashing out on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Considering Manchester City were not interested in getting into a bidding war with Chelsea for Jorginho, it is unlikely director of football Txiki Begiristain will sanction such a deal.

However, if the Premier League champions go through with their alleged interest in Pjanic, then they would be getting one of the best midfielders in the world.

The deep-lying playmaker is a Guardiola-type player, deadly from dead-ball situations and boasts a great range of passing.

Pjanic is not the most combative player, though, but that has never bothered Guardiola who is more concerned with the positional play of his holding midfielder and their ability to recycle possession effectively.

The Juventus man alongside David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne would form a midfield that only Real Madrid could rival.

Albeit an expensive one, a deal for Pjanic could be worth pursuing for Manchester City.