Manchester City ‘actively working’ on at least ‘one new deal’ in striker position this summer | OneFootball

Etihad Stadium recruitment bosses are said to be working on multiple deals in the striker position to make up for the loss of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid.

The Argentina international completed an exit from Manchester City to the Spanish capital earlier this month, bringing an end to a two-year stay with Pep Guardiola’s side as the club secured themselves a remarkable profit on their initial £14 million outlay on the player.

Atletico Madrid reached an agreement with the Premier League champions over an initial €75 million transfer fee with a further €20 million in add-ons, with Alvarez holding ambitions of establishing himself as a leading mainstay striker for a European club.

Whilst Manchester City will no doubt remain confident in their striking abilities this season, with Erling Haaland the leading option, there remains an intention to secure a replacement for Julian Alvarez through a player who is not expecting of consistent minutes.

And that work is now seemingly ongoing, with just a matter of days remaining in the summer transfer window.

According to the information of The Athletic’s Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee, recruitment officials within the Etihad Stadium have drawn up a shortlist of striker targets, and are ‘actively working on’ at least one deal.

Subsequent reports have linked the Premier League champions with an interest in Celtic and Japan international forward Kyogo Furuhashi, who has multiple connections to Manchester City already.

The 29-year-old is very familiar with Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach Juanma Lillo, whom he worked with during their time together at Vissel Kobe in 2018/19, whilst Furuhashi also faced off and scored against City during this summer’s pre-season tour of the United States.

It remains to be seen whether Manchester City will deem Kyogo as their number one choice for the role of back-up striker at the Etihad Stadium this season, and just how much they would be willing to invest in the Japanese attacker.