Manchester City are racing a number of other Premier League sides for an “insane” midfielder, whose club are now demanding €60m (£51m) for his services, according to a report.
City set sights on new midfielders
Pep Guardiola is expected to continue the rebuild of his squad this summer, given their drop-off in the Premier League, although they still have a good chance to make a success of the campaign by winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League.
One area in which Guardiola is keen to strengthen is midfield, with Kevin De Bruyne set to leave at the end of the season, and the Blues are preparing to make a super offer for River Plate attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono.
There may also be a desire to overhaul the central midfield options, given that Ilkay Gundogan is in the twilight years of his career at 34, while Mateo Kovacic is set to turn 31 in just a few days’ time.
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The Blues have received a boost in their pursuit of a defender, who they are expected to make a move for this summer.
Galatasaray’s Gabriel Sara has recently emerged as a surprise target, with the Blues making contact over a deal for the Brazilian, and they also have their eye on a Bundesliga star.
That is according to a report from Germany (via Sport Witness), which states Man City are now racing a number of their Premier League rivals for Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson.
A deal for Larsson will be on the relatively expensive side, however, with the report stating that Frankfurt are set to hold out for a fee of €60m (£51m) for his services.
Frankfurt are keen to keep hold of the Swedish maestro, but it may be difficult to turn down a big offer from one of the Premier League’s top clubs, with Arsenal and Liverpool also in the race for his signature.
Football scout Ben Mattinson has compared the 20-year-old to Gundogan, claiming he is “similar” to the German midfielder due to his ability to make late runs into the box and score goals.
Scoring goals is clearly the Sweden international’s forte, given that he ranks in the 90th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, but there are signs that he is a well-rounded midfielder.
Mattinson claims the youngster has “insane running power & stamina”, while also singling him out for praise due to his ability to win back possession.
With Gundogan now in the latter stages of his career, Guardiola may be keen on bringing in a like-for-like replacement, and there are plenty of signs that Larsson could be exactly that.
