I won’t let go – Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola identifies £50m Euro star that could perfectly replace Ilkay Gundogan
Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola congratulates Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan after winning the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Manche…
Manchester City have an ideal replacement for Ilkay Gundogan waiting for them and a deal has to be done this summer.
A new midfield option is understood to be one of the priorities for Manchester City, who won their fourth Premier League title in a row under Pep Guardiola.
Despite the scintillating fashion with which Guardiola’s City romped to yet another Premier League title, it appears that the former Barcelona manager is not happy with his midfield options.
Matheus Nunes and Kalvin Phillips’ future at the club are uncertain and a new midfielder is one of the targets with Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes generating interest from the Etihad Stadium.
Dani Olmo of RB Leipzig controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and RB Leipzig at Olympiastadion on April 8, 2023 in Berli…
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Midfielder attracting interest from City shows his class at Euro 2024
Whilst Guimaraes would be an exceptional addition in the middle of the park for City, a replacement for German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan should be of higher priority and the former Lyon star is not that.
A midfielder who likes to push forward and pop up with vital goals for the club would be a very smart addition for City and the European Championship’s current top goalscorer could be a brilliant option.
Since the beginning of Euro 2024, Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo has been a delight to watch and the RB Leipzig star is the current top scorer in the tournament, ahead of Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo.
Olmo scored an outrageous girl in the first half of Spain’s semi-final against France and has looked every bit of a City player this summer.
MORE MANCHESTER CITY STORIES
HITC understands that City are big fans of Olmo, and also like Xavi Simons, and believe a deal could be done at the £50 million mark for the Spaniard.
City originally wanted Lucas Paqueta but pivoted away from the deal due to the Brazilian’s alleged betting breaches during his time at West Ham United.
Euro 2024 star could be the perfect midfielder for City
Whilst goalscoring isn’t the most important trait for a midfielder, particularly in a system managed by Guardiola, it is certainly a nice bonus.
Current Germany boss and former Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann was very complimentary of the midfielder back in 2020.
“He was extremely hard-working, won the ball a lot of times and defended very robustly,” Nagelsmann said of Olmo.
“He has exceptional abilities and is very safe with the ball. When he gets put under pressure, he knows how to provoke a foul.”
Safety in possession will certainly appeal to Guardiola but finding a replacement for Gundogan, who the Spaniard once hailed as ‘exceptional’, will be just as important and Olmo could be that man for City.
Related Topics
Leave a Reply