- Manchester City expected to spend during January transfer market
- The champions are 14 points behind league leaders Liverpool and sit in seventh place.
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all starting! New line-up, some new faces, but optimism has faded at Old Trafford
Pep Guardiola has prepared a five-man deep-pocketed list in a bid to stop Manchester City’s nightmare, according to reports.
City have won just one of their last 13 games and have fallen to seventh place in the Premier League table, 14 points behind leaders Liverpool.
As a result, sport mail understands that the club is willing to spend money to revamp its squad in the hopes of sparking a desperately needed reset.
In fact, they are keen to land three targets next month and want a centre-back, a full-back, two midfielders and two forwards over the course of the next two windows.
The times have claimed that the five players Guardiola is targeting are Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.
Indeed, Zubimendi is admired by City and, along with Guimaraes, would help solve City’s midfield conundrum with lynchpin Rodri ruled out for the rest of the campaign.
Pep Guardiola has prepared a five-man wish list to help stop the Manchester City horror
City have won just one of their last 13 games and dropped to seventh place in the Premier League.
The club is open to spending money to strengthen various areas of its squad.
City have been linked with both players previously, but moves are expected to be difficult, especially in the winter window. Zubimendi snubbed Liverpool over the summer and it is understood that he will again be reluctant to leave Sociedad next month.
Musiala and Wirtz have impressed in the Bundesliga, but they won’t come cheap as Bayern and Leverkusen are unlikely to be willing to sell their superstars.
Central defender Guehi saw several offers of around £70m from Newcastle rejected by Palace in the summer after several solid performances for England at Euro 2024. Manchester United are also announced to be pouncing on the 24-year-old.
As reported by sport mail This morning, the return of £40million Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush is being considered, as is the return of Ipswich’s Liam Delap. There is also the possibility of a deal for Dani Olmo, since Barcelona cannot register him.
Talented Palace midfielder Adam Wharton also has admirers at the Etihad.
Juma Bah, on loan at Real Valladolid from AIK Freetong, and Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite are understood to be two defenders on City’s radar.
Guardiola made no secret of his desire to bring in reinforcements after City’s 1-1 draw with Everton, telling Amazon Prime: “We have to add players.” Definitely. Definitely.
‘We have difficulties especially at the back and in the middle. I think we have to do it, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen. “The winter transfer window is not easy.”
Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi has admirers at City but may not move next month
Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes is also on City’s radar, but he won’t be cheap
Jamal Musiala (left) and Florian Wirtz (right) are two possible attacking options for City.
Marc Guehi is also believed to be of interest to City after impressing for Crystal Palace.
The Catalan has also promised not to leave, as his aim is to improve City’s form.
Ahead of City’s trip to Leicester City today, he said: “I’ll try, I’ll keep going.”
‘I’m not going to give up. I want to be here. I want to do it and, with the situation we have, we have to do it. Of course I want it (to finish my degree), everyone wants it.
“I don’t want to disappoint my people in terms of the club, the fans, the people who love this club. I think all of us in our jobs want to do well and please people.
‘That is undeniable, it is not a question mark.
“The biggest test is coming back, but we’ve done it before.”