Released. That's how simple is the description of Manchester City's state of form at the moment. Against West Ham they have added their twentieth consecutive victory, a streak that has triggered them in the Premier (they have thirteen points of advantage over United, with one more match) and has put them with a foot and a half in the quarterfinals of the Champions League (They beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-2 in the first leg of the round of 16). However, immobility is not something that goes hand in hand with the whole citizen nor from Guardiola and this summer will be no different. If in previous years the objective was the rear, now it's time to add gunpowder in the form of a center forward.
Few drawbacks can be put to the season of Guardiola's pupils, who has turned the attack into a continuous allowance of positions and the defense into a real rock. In fact, they are the least thrashed team in the major leagues with 15 goals against. However, on the attack front the top scorers are Raheem Sterling and an increasingly surprising Ilkay Gundogan, with 13 goals. Next is Phil Foden with 11. You have to go up the fourth position to find the 9 goals of Gabriel Jesus and up to the tenth to find the Kun Omen. Therefore, according to 'ESPN', the hiring of a center forward is marked in red for next summer.
While it is true that the Argentine has suffered countless physical problems that have not allowed him to perform at the level he is accustomed to (2 goals in 11 games), its renewal would not be linked to the hiring of an alternative '9'. Since the aforementioned medium understands that the signing will come yes or yes, whether the Argentine is in the team next year or not. The contract ends on June 30 and for the moment no extension has been specified, but this will not prevent the market from combing in search of attack power.
The top scorer in the history of City (256 goals) will reach the end of his contract with 33 years just turned (he does them on June 2) and he will have to decide whether to listen to the siren songs that come from big cities like Paris and Turin or if, on the contrary, he decides to continue in Manchester. 'ESPN' affirms that Juventus would be very interested in hiring the striker, which would come at zero cost, but the Pochettino factor weighs on PSG. In addition to the Messi factor, for those who fight in the French capital and at the Etihad. The friendship between Sergio and Leo could tip the balance to one side or the other.
Messi, Haaland …
And if Messi is one of the attackers who have sounded the strongest to join the skyblue, the other is Erling Haaland. Although the fight for the Norwegian is presumed almost as fierce as the one that would be done with the '10' Barcelona. The one of the Dortmund will leave with greater ease in the summer of 2022, at which time Real Madrid had planned to attack, but the intentions of Chelsea or Manchester City, and even United, are to go for the young scorer this summer, to prevent a price reduction from adding participants to the auction . To each goal that the cyborg the operation is complicated (He has scored 27 goals in 25 games) and it doesn't seem like he's going to slow down …
Something that, a priori, would make it difficult for Erling to land in the Etihad would be Mino Raiola, the player's agent. The personal problems between the Italian and Guardiola since Ibrahimovic's stage at Barcelona are evident, but the Santpedor is willing to bury the hatchet for the operation to crystallize. “There have been conversations with Mino Raiola in the past and if he represents a player that interests us there will be no problem (…). Personal problems do not determine what is best for the club”says a source citizen consulted by the aforementioned medium. Taking Haaland out of Signal Iduna Park will cost more than 100 million euros this summer, but if the player and Manchester City want to understand each other, the relationship between Raiola and Guardiola will not hinder the operation.
… Kane or Darwin Núñez
The other names that have been shuffled correspond to very different profiles. The first is Harry Kane, whom Daniel Levy has valued at 170 million euros. English would be a safe bet, but tremendously expensive, in addition to having to fight with United, the other high bidder. While the other related player responds to a lower profile economically: Darwin Núñez. The Uruguayan has fit like a glove in Jorge Jesús' Benfica and scores and generates goals in equal parts (12 goals and 9 assists this season). Characteristic, the latter, that he shares with a Kane more playmaker than ever.
Therefore, it has been a long time the former Almeria as an ideal forward for City, as well as his age (21 years) would allow Guardiola to mold him to your taste. Of course, Benfica is not a simple club with which to negotiate and it will not be easy to lower the 150 million that appear in its clause. Although it is clear that it would come out for a much less amount than what Levy asks for the Tottenham star. Be one of the loudest or some outsider last minute, City is clear that in summer they want a '9'.