Manchester City Transfer Rumour Round Up: The Strikers

If the newspapers are to be believed, Manchester City are about to embark upon some major transfer activity this summer including a new striker.

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 14: Luka Jovic of Eintracht Frankfurt looks at the ball during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Internazionale and Eintracht Frankfurt at San Siro on March 14, 2019 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images) /

It is that time of the year as the season draws to its inevitable close that attention begins to loom upon the upcoming Transfer Window. The voracious appetite from fans causes medi attention to build and within a couple of weeks we will be inundated with wall to wall coverage. After a quiet 12 months in the transfer market there are reports Manchester City may be about to burst into life.

Part of this rumoured activity may be in preparation for an upcoming transfer ban which may kick in later in this year. Part of it may also be about taking prudent steps now to plan for future departing players.

One of these issues relates to our undoubted star player – Sergio Aguero – who we are all expecting to leave City by the time his contract expires in 2021. He will be 31 in June and is entering the veteran stage of his career. Knowing we will be searching for a replacement striker in 2021 will push the price upwards so there is a lot of sense in doing business early and allowing a younger striker time to develop and embed within our side.

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This is probably why we are being repeatedly linked with the wonder kid Joao Felix. Therein lies the first problem in a search for a new striker. The kind of players we will be linked to will be those who are capable of playing at the highest level. There will be no bargains to be had shopping in this market!

Felix is a 19 year old striker playing for Benfica in the Portuguese League.He is under contract until 2023 so Benfica will be in a position to call all of the shots in terms of the price. He is without doubt the hottest property in world football not yet attached to a major Club.

In 22 appearances this season since breaking into the team he has 13 goals and 8 assists. He looks like Kylian Mbappe in the way he plays as a second striker and will become the poster boy of football in the years to come. The question mark for Manchester City may well be his temperament. He does not seem to fit the personality profile of settled players preferred by City and is rather more like Neymar in his lifestyle choices.

The second player we are being linked to is also owned by Benfica – Luka Jovic. Jovic though is on loan from Benfica for Eintracht Frankfurt and that is where he has caught the eye. Aged just 21 he is more of a traditional striker and seems more capable of playing on his own. Whether he could be coached differently to fit better within our attacking systems or whether he would be offered as a plan B, I am unsure.

In the Bundesliga and UEFA Cup this season he has made a significant impact with 25 goals and 7 assists in just 42 appearances. His performances have brought him to the attention of many of the elite European sides.

Both of these players would seem capable of being coached to become better so would fit the general profile we have started to accumulate. It is just the likely prices being quoted for both players will be in excess of £70 million each! If City do make the decision to enter the transfer market this Summer it will be interesting to see if either of these players materialise

As a City fan I am not looking forward to the day when Sergio decides it is time to leave. I do not feel ready to even think about that.

Next. Manchester City Transfer Rumours: The Defenders. dark

Whilst the transfer rumours about Felix and Jovic seem to have some basis in fact there are plenty of stories out there which just seem like nonsense. In fact you can tell it is a derby week in the press because I have read that Pep is going to Italy and that City are interested in swapping Aguero for Neymar!

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