Reports: Pep Guardiola set to sign up to eight players for Manchester City
Incoming Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola could be planning to sign up to eight players this summer as he prepares to undergo a complete overhaul of the squad.
According to ESPN FC, Guardiola is ready to spend up to £300 million in order to re-shape the side which has so far failed to reach the heights of previous seasons.
Replacing Manuel Pellegrini this summer, Guardiola’s first priority will be to fix City’s leaky defence which has conceded 32 goals in 31 games in the league. The Spaniard is reportedly keen on signing young Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte and the highly sought after John Stones from Everton.
Guardiola will face strong competition for Stones, however, as Manchester United and Chelsea are also reportedly keen on signing the England international. It is believed that Stones alone could cost up to £35 million, while Laporte has a €50 million release clause, though the fact the 21-year-old recently broke his ankle means Guardiola could scrap any plans to sign the French international.
While Manchester City spent more than £100 million on Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling alone last season, it’s believed that Guardiola is not happy with the current City squad and is keen to sign a winger, central midfielder, striker, goalkeeper, two centre-backs and two full-backs.
According to reports, Manchester City has initiated contact with Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen over a potential move to the club, with the German goalkeeper apparently discontent playing second fiddle to Claudio Bravo at the Nou Camp. While Ter Stegen has since denied claims that he has already inked a contract with the Citizens, it’s widely believed the player could still move to the Etihad in the summer.
A verbal agreement between Borussia Dortmund and City to sign midfielder lkay Gündoan has also been suggested, however, the German midfielder's representatives have moved to deny these claims.
Guardiola is also apparently ready to ship out striker Wilfried Bony, who was bought for £25 million just over a year ago, but no decision has been made on who will play backup to Sergio Aguero.
It is believed that while Guardiola is also keen to sign new full-backs, he is currently prioritising other areas of the squad.
Having enjoyed a successful stint with Bayern Munich, Guardiola will be aiming to end his career at the Allianz Area on a high as his side sits on top of the Bundesliga and remain in the Champions League quarter-finals and DFB-Pokal semi-finals.