- 19 hours ago
Guardiola 'insisting' Man City sign elite Premier League midfielder he 'loves'
Suraj Radia
- 5 Dec 2024 13:00 CST
- 3 min read
Pep Guardiola is understood to be ‘insisting’ on including a standout Premier League performer as he looks to rejuvenate Manchester City’s midfield in 2025.
City finally ended a run of seven games without a win this week but the ACL injury suffered by Rodri in September exposed the glaring fragility of the Premier League champions’ ageing midfield.
With Kevin de Bruyne also in the final months of his contract, City are understood to be targeting two first team midfielders in the next two transfer windows, with at least one coming in January.
READ MORE: Man City’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time
That is according to the Daily Mail, who also claim that Guardiola has ‘insisted’ on Bruno Guimaraes being one of City’s targets, a player he is said to ‘love’ and whom they have held a long-term interest after his impeccable displays for Newcastle.
City were keen to sign Guimaraes during the summer but they were put off by Newcastle’s refusal to negotiate from his £100 million (€120m) release clause, which has since expired.
It was believed that City would have considered using Matheus Nunes as a makeweight in any deal and Newcastle’s resolve could soon be tested once again.
Newcastle unlikely to entertain Guimaraes departure
Guimaraes still has more than three years remaining on his contract at St James’ Park and the team captain has consistently affirmed his loyalty to Newcastle, however PSR struggles could force the club to cash in on a star player next summer if they miss out on European football for a second straight season.
For City, any interest would have to wait until the end of the season, with Newcastle not willing to entertain any mid-season talk of the sales of any key players, and no talks have been held between the two sides over a deal.
Current ETV
Bruno Guimarães
DM, M (C)
Newcastle Utd.
Bruno Guimarães
DM, M (C)
Newcastle Utd.
ETV Range
€47.9M - €79.8M
City are more likely to pursue a deal for Martin Zubimendi, who is thought to be willing to leave Real Sociedad in January after turning down a move to Liverpool in the summer.
Zubimendi’s €60m release clause also makes him a more feasible target than Adam Wharton, who is also believed to be on City’s shortlist, with Crystal Palace reluctant to sell their talismanic midfielder less than a year after he joined.
