Manchester City will have an interesting summer ahead as they look to continue their dominance in the Premier League
Manchester City midfielder Rodri pictured alongside Pep Guardiola (Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Manchester City will be looking to make signings which consolidate their position at the top of the Premier League as we enter the summer transfer window.
Unlike most of their rivals, City will feel content if they exit the summer transfer window without making any major new signings. Most business is likely to come through outgoings with Kalvin Phillips the most likely man to be shown the exit.
Of course, Pep Guardiola will have a firm eye on any deals that could be completed in the summer transfer window and in our latest look at the media headlines, it appears one target could be off the radar.
City set to miss out on Newcastle midfielder
According to Football Transfers, City are interested in signing Newcastle United defensive midfielder Bruno Guimaraes this summer. The Brazilian was visibly emotional after the Magpies’ last home game at St James’ Park which led to speculation that he could be on his way out of the club.
If he does leave, City are thought to be the ones keen to sign him but Guimaraes is thought to be unsure on the deal as he would likely become the back-up for Rodri.
What MEN Sport says: Sometimes having a player of Rodri’s quality is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is not a defensive midfielder in world football who can do that job better than him but on the other, this means City lose a certain aspect of their game when he isn’t on the pitch. For this reason, Guardiola has often refrained from dropping Rodri which is all well and good until you try and strengthen that area of the pitch. The issue is that a player good enough to fill Rodri’s boots when he is in need of rest is not going to be happy to sit on the bench for the majority of the season. This appears to be the concern for Guimaraes and will be for other potential targets as the club looks to replace Phillips this summer.
Xavi’s stance on Cancelo’s future
According to Marca before Xavi was sacked by Barcelona, he had made it clear that the Catalan club would not pursue a deal to re-sign Joao Cancelo either on loan or permanently. It is understood the Barca great did not see him as reliable enough to be worthy of a fresh deal.
However, now he has exited the club it is unclear whether Cancelo will be a target in the summer or not.
What MEN Sport says: There seems very little reason for City to keep hold of Cancelo this summer. Another loan move seems counter-intuitive for the Blues while a permanent exit could provide a much-needed Financial Fair Play (FFP) boost. Xavi’s exit from Barcelona could mean there is now a chance for Guardiola to strike a deal with his former club for the Portuguese full-back. At the end of the day, any permanent deal for Cancelo this summer would be a huge bonus whether that be Barca or not.