Pep Guardiola is set to oversee a mammoth £200m transfer spending spree next summer, with Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland and Inter’s Romelu Lukaku among the names supposedly on Manchester City’s shopping list.
The Citizens are in need of an attacking rebuild, and with Sergio Aguero’s future at the club hanging in the balance, they could be left with Gabriel Jesus as their only senior striker for next year.
However, the Man City hierarchy are willing to put their hands deep into their pockets, and are preparing themselves for a massive summer spending spree.
According to The Telegraph, the Premier League giants could splash around £200m on new faces, with superstar strikers Haaland and Lukaku both linked with a switch to the Etihad stadium.
Haaland has not stopped scoring since joining Dortmund 12 months ago, hitting 35 goals in as many appearances for the German giants. At 20 years of age, he is already being tipped to become a fully-fledged global icon of the game, and his price tag will only rise with each passing year.
That may encourage Guardiola to force his employer’s hand, as he looks to find the missing piece to his puzzle. That missing piece could also be Inter star Lukaku, who has recaptured the form he showed at Everton, prior to a mixed couple of years at Manchester United.
I want to thank God for putting me in this position. Thank you to my teammates at @Inter and at the @BelRedDevils you guys put me in great positions every time! Thank you to both coaching staffs for making me better.
Best belgian player abroad ? pic.twitter.com/0mxnXfKNRO
— R.Lukaku Bolingoli9 (@RomeluLukaku9) January 13, 2021
The Belgian star equalled a Nerazzurri club record set by Ronaldo in 1998, scoring 34 goals in all competitions – the joint-highest for any player in his debut season at San Siro. Lukaku has continued that rich vein of form this campaign, and has silenced his critics time and time again.
Then again, their leading striker may still be right under their nose. Man City have not given up hope on convincing Aguero to extend his contract with the Sky Blues, and they believe he has the ability and fitness to regularly compete at this level.
However, should the Argentine decide to stay at the Etihad stadium beyond next summer, that won’t stop them from pulling the trigger on recruiting their all-time leading scorer’s successor.
Man City began their rebuild in the summer, splashing over £100m on defenders Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake, along with Valencia winger Ferran Torres.
As well as a new superstar striker, City are also in the market for a defensive midfielder and left back.
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