Manchester Cityboss Pep Guardiola has been left with a pre-season headache afterRiyad Mahrezinformed the club of his preferred outcome, transfer insiderDean JonesɾєⱱєɑłєԀ to GIVEMESPORT.
It’s a situation that has forcedCityonto the backfoot, with Jones hinting Guardiola now has ‘a lot to think about’.
ManchesterCitytransfer news – Riyad Mahrez
Just over a month on from lifting the Champions League in a dramatic final against Inter Milan in Istanbul, it appears theCitysquad which were successful that evening could look considerably different by the time the new season rolls around.
That’s because the treble-winning captain Ilkay Gundogan has already departed the club on a free transfer for Barcelona, with moreCitystars currently eyeing up an exit.
The next to leave via Manchester Airport’s departure lounge is expected to be Mahrez, who according toThe Athleticis hellbent on a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli.
It’s claimed in the ɾєρօɾτ that a package consisting of £25 million per year in wages has been presented to the Algerian, with a bid of £30 million set to be offered toCity.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed toGIVEMESPORTin an interview that Mahrez has said yes to the contract offer, with personal terms having been agreed between the player and the Middle Eastern outfit.
But with less than a month until the new Premier League season kicks off, andCityheading over to Japan for their pre-season tour this week, it has left plenty of questions hanging over the Blues’ squad.
What has Dean Jones said about Mahrez, Guardiola and City?
Speaking in an interview with GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Jones confirmed thatCitywere exploring options to replace Mahrez, be that via a new signing, or players currently on their roster already.
On the current state of play, Jones said:”At the єɴԀ of last seasonCityhad no ρłɑɴs to recruit in attack but suddenly they are on the lookout for a Mahrez replacement.
“It hasn’t caught them totally unaware because the interest has been there for a number of weeks now and that has given them a little time to at least think about the profile of player they would need.
“Mahrez was an important player last season but he wasn’t a nailed-on starter every week. His numbers were actually very impressive when you take into account how he had to wait for his opportunities and then grab them when they came. “They are looking at the market now but internally this can be sorted – at least for the time being. One option to think about is the use of Phil Foden and the implications of this around him. “It had been looking like he might drop further back if they lost Bernardo Silva as well as Gundogan but of course, this could in turn give him the chance for more runouts in the front line. At the moment you would look at that squad and just see that Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland and Foden makes a lot of sense. There is a lot to think about for Guardiola. “City had also been opening up to the idea of Cole Palmer going out on loan and there had been varying degrees of interest around that, particularly from teams in England and Germany.
“But this Mahrez situation will also forceCityto think about their use of him in the squad and he might be elevated, at least while they address this.”
DoCityneed to sign a new attacker?
According toThe Athletic’sCitycorrespondent Sam Lee,Cityhave already ruled out the possibility of signing a direct and pacey winger this summer.
It’s believed Guardiola favours a more ball-dominant attacker, with someone who is more in the mould of Grealish likely to be sourced, compared to somebody like Leroy Sane or Rafael Leao.
That removes Aston Villa target Moussa Diaby from the equation, with the Bayer Leverkusen man said to be available for around£50 millionthis summer.
However, it does reduce the pool of players who fit the necessary requirements and might be attainable forCity, with a shortage of high-quality attackers currently knocking about the European market.
