Manchester City hold contract talks with forward’s representatives amid Arsenal interest | OneFootball

Manchester City have held direct talks with the representatives of Velez Sarsfield striker Maher Carrizo ahead of a big summer rebuild, as per a new report.

Carrizo has been tracked by the 2023 treble winners in recent months, with City’s strong scouting network in South America put to use when it came to light the club has sent a scout to watch Carrizo in Velez Sarsfield’s 3-0 win over San Antonio Bulo Bulo in the CONMEBOL Libertadores earlier this month.

Hugo Viana is set to replace Txiki Begiristain as director of football in the coming months and the Portuguese has a huge rebuilding task on his hands to arm Pep Guardiola in the summer transfer market and get Manchester City competing on all fronts next season.

City fell way short of their own standards in the 2024-25 campaign, finishing third in the Premier League, crashing out of the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16 stage and losing to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.

Kevin De Bruyne has played his final game in a Manchester City shirt and is expected to complete a move to Napoli in the coming fortnight after being told he is not part of City’s plans beyond the duration of his current deal, which expires at the end of June.

After withdrawing interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz – who has decided to join Liverpool over Manchester City and Bayern Munich – the Blues are eyeing alternative additions to their attacking midfield areas.

Club officials are working on deals to bring Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders to the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City look to make four to five first-team signings in the summer after a sub-standard 2024-25 season.

According to Scouts in Attendance reporting on X, Manchester City have met with the representatives of 19-year-old Velez Sarsfield striker Maher Carrizo as they look to bolster their frontline and take some responsibility off Erling Haaland’s shoulders. Arsenal, Southampton, Wolves and Manchester United are also monitoring the Argentine.

Viana is spearheading Manchester City’s pursuit of Gibbs-White, who is understood to have agreed personal terms with the Blues, and City are also expected to make a formal bid to AC Milan for Reijnders in the coming week to get a head start on their summer business.

Lyon’s Rayan Cherki and Club Brugge’s Ardon Jashari have also emerged as Manchester City targets in recent days as the board identify potent additions to the current squad whilst assessing the future(s) of those in the first-team who will be moved on in the summer.