Immediate starter and “world class” operator eyed for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad | OneFootball

Manchester City are looking for a statement recruit to take on one position in Pep Guardiola’s squad ahead of the forthcoming campaign, a new report has detailed.

Etihad Stadium officials are working on a number of positions this summer, both in the way of arrivals into Manchester City’s first-team squad and departures as a number of players entertain possible interest from abroad.

While midfield positions are expected to be at the forefront of transfer plans across the course of the coming months, Manchester City officials are widely expected to be unopposed to market opportunities, as and when they emerge.

That stance could be either the emergence of players for cut-price deals, or representatives of stars engineering moves away from their existing clubs, while City are also understood to be keen on strengthening positions more than once.

The latest role to be put under scrutiny is the wider positions in Pep Guardiola’s attacking line, as the Etihad club look to add a different dimension to their threat going forward following various difficult moments during the last campaign.

According to the information of Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Pep Guardiola is currently in the market for a new “world-class” wide forward to be an immediate starter in his Manchester City side ahead of the forthcoming campaign.

But when it comes to specific names being linked with moves to the Etihad Stadium and also placed under the terms “world-class”, they have certainly been few and far between with the exception of tenuous links from Spain.

It was claimed earlier this summer, and prior to the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, that Brazil international Rodrygo was a player being analysed as a possible option by Manchester City.

The 23-year-old moved relatively quickly to shut down the suggestion of a move to the Premier League champions, as he spoke after the Champions League final win at Wembley Stadium, “This week some media said about bids, clubs, interest.

“I don’t know anything about it and I’m not interested,” Rodrygo admitted. “Even if there are proposals, I have no idea… I’m staying. I’m happy here. How can I leave Real Madrid?!”