Manchester City decide agianst top priority target this winter

Manchester City have shortlisted several stars to land this January but have decided against signing one of the best talents in Europe.

Manuel Locatelli of Sassuolo has been a revelation in the midfield, at least when it comes to Serie A. Playing as a holding midfielder more often than not, Locatelli has caught several eyeballs including those of Manchester City. Sky Blues veteran Fernandinho is in the final year of his contract and is most likely to walk out as a free agent at the end of this season. Having said that, Locatelli is one of the brighter prospects in the midfield and the Cityzens want him to fill in the hole that will be left by Fernandinho’s departure. However, the Cityzens have ruled out a winter transfer and will be observing the player until the summer before deciding to launch a move for the 23-year-old as per Fabrizio Romano.

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The Cityzens though, are not the only team keeping tabs on the Italian International as Serie A giants in Juventus and AC Milan are also said to be interested. Sassuolo will be eager to keep hold of their man but have understood the fact that the player may want to move out to realize his full potential. AC Milan are looking to bring back one of its former players but Locatelli’s wishes of re-joining his former club cannot be confirmed. The player’s agent, however, has indirectly asked Juventus to try to land the midfielder once again, after a failed attempt in the last season.

Locatelli’s contract runs out in 2023 and it’s highly unlikely that any of the player’s potential suitors would want to wait until then. A decent sum in the range of £30 million can be expected as the asking price from Sassuolo.

Manchester City have been linked with some big names this January. The likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos have been tipped to join Manchester City though in both cases, Paris Saint-Germain stands as a competition. It will be interesting to see how the final two weeks of January pans out for Manchester City. With the team regaining its past rhythm and mojo, it is highly unlikely that Pep would want to change anything this month.