One in, one out as Pep Guardiola looks at serious upgrade in key Man City area
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is planning to beef up his attack in 2022 – but his hopes of a January double deal may have to be put on ice until the end of the season.
The reigning Premier League champions have made a mockery of their lack of a focal point in attack. They failed to replace the departing Sergio Aguero over the summer, the club legend moving on to Barcelona.
And despite efforts to land Harry Kane, the England skipper stayed at Tottenham, despite this admission from Guardiola.
With Tottenham digging their heels in over Kane, it’s little surprise to see Man City beginning to cast their eye over other prospective targets.
Indeed, reports in Italy now claim City are leading the charge to sign Fiorentina marksman Dusan Vlahovic.
The Serbian, 21, is quickly becoming one of Europe’s hottest properties. Vlahovic bagged 21 goals in Serie A last season. Proving he wasn’t a one-season wonder, the lethal marksman has taken his game to new heights this year.
Vlahovic has notched 14 goals in 16 matches across all competitions this season. That output at such a young age has predictably seen him emerge on the radar of many of Europe’s elite.
Indeed, Tottenham were stated by the Sun to be lining up the £70m-rated forward as part of a five-pronged overhaul.
Juventus are leading the chase from the Serie A’s interested parties, though Arsenal cannot be discounted from the race.
Pep Guardiola sees merits in Vlahovic
However, City are too being mentioned as suitors once again. As such, La Repubblica lists City as having a firm interest in Vlahovic and the side most likely to sign the striker.
The huge fee is unlikely to deter City either, given they were looking at spending even more on Kane.
However, their hopes of securing his signing in January appear to be fading. That’s after a report claimed Vlahovic has put talk of a move away from Florence on hold until the summer.
Speaking to Telegraf.rs, Vlahovic says he’s planning to stay in Florence to help the Viola into Europe.
“We are all working hard and want to get back into Europe. Fiorentina haven’t played in Europe for many years and it’d be a great success for the club,” he said.
“I think this group of players and staff deserves it. And we’ll do our best to achieve some of the objectives we have set for ourselves.
“I have reached a level in football where every little detail counts. So I am very careful with my nutrition and training routine.”
Ferran Torres move also on hold
One man who will have hoped to have benefited from Aguero’s summer exit at City was Ferran Torres.
The forward scored seven times in 24 Premier League appearances last season during a fine debut campaign.
This season hasn’t quite gone to plan with injury playing a big part in Torres starting just four Premier League games.
Furthermore, he’s the subject of solid interest from Barcelona who are looking to bring him back to LaLiga.
However, with Barca’s financial problems well docmented, they cannot afford to finance his signing in January.
Nonetheless, he remains a player of interest to new boss Xavi Hernandez. As such, Sport claims a summer approach looks likely to be on the cards.
As a result, Guardiola may face a wait in his efforts to beef up his strikeforce. And with January deals off the table for both players, City will instead seemingly have to wait for the summer instead.
READ MORE: Next club named with Guardiola plans in place to leave Man City
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