It might be back to the drawing board for Manchester City and their transfer plan this summer.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
Norway starlet Oscar Bobb – who shone on tour in the United States and backed up those eye-catching displays with a brilliant assist for City in their Community Shield win over Manchester United beneath the famous arch – is set to miss at least the start of the campaign after fracturing a bone in his leg. The full recovery time isn’t yet clear.
City were already one down in attacking quarters. Julian Alvarez completed a surprise transfer to Atletico Madrid before Pep Guardiola and his star-studded team made their latest trip to Wembley and returned with more silverware.
That deal has given City an £81.5million windfall. The Manchester Evening News understands City were discussing potential replacements for Alvarez before Bobb succumbed to injury, although at that stage it was not viewed as essential for Txiki Begiristain to make his move with Guardiola having such a plethora of in-house solutions.
But there could well be a sharp U-turn in that regard as City attempt to hold back their Premier League rivals. One intriguing avenue for them would be to hijack a £75million buy Liverpool still have their eye on.
The Reds have been particularly watchful in the market so far this summer. Several players have ‘done the rounds’ as proposed targets, but Fenway Sports Group are yet to make a first-team signing for Arne Slot, despite having a big-money swoop for Anthony Gordon agreed before Newcastle United backed out at the 11th hour.
At that stage, the England international – who needs no introduction to Merseyside having been born in Liverpool and spent over a decade with Everton before his switch to St. James’ Park in January 2023 – was set to cost around £75million. As the clock ticks closer to the August 30 deadline, his fee will only go up.
However, there’s always a premium to pay for high-quality domestic options, especially so when Gordon could be subject to a heavy-handed transfer race over the next two weeks. But will City make their move?
They have form for spending big on England players. Kyle Walker, John Stones, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish et al to name four, while Ivan Toney has been tentatively linked this summer.
Gordon certainly ticks a lot of boxes. City have enough capital to out-bid Liverpool if Guardiola agrees.
