Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is certainly not hanging about when it comes to improving his squad.
After a first trophyless season since 2016/17, the Spaniard has begun the summer transfer window with a bang.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss looks to have completed a deal for Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan for a fee in the region of £46.3m, while Lyon’s Rayan Cherki is close to signing on a deal worth at least £25m.
Why Man City are signing Reijnders and Cherki
Reijnders could turn into a bargain given how impressive he was for Milan last season. Across 54 games for the Italian side, he scored 15 goals and grabbed five assists.
This came despite the club missing out on European competition after finishing eighth in Serie A last term.
The Dutchman may prove to be an ideal replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, who leaves at the Etihad end of the month. In Cherki, Guardiola has also secured a player for a fee which may well turn out to be one of his finest deals.
The Frenchman shone for France in their Nations League defeat to Spain on Thursday evening. Making his debut when he came on with just 30 minutes left, the winger scored and provided an assist in the 5-4 defeat.
For a combined fee of just over £70m, it is certainly money well spent by the Spaniard as he looks ahead to the Club World Cup and next season.
There is a player at the club who is worth more than the pair put together, however, and he shone throughout 2024/25.
The Man City star who’s worth more than Reijnders & Cherki
Brazilian winger, Savinho, made the move from Troyes to City last summer after impressing on loan at Girona.
Not many expected him to settle in as well as he did, as the youngster went on to register 14 goal involvements – two goals and 12 assists – in 45 games for the club.
|
Savinho’s PL stats for Man City last season |
|
|---|---|
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
8 |
|
Big chances created |
11 |
|
Successful dribbles |
1.8 |
|
Shots per game |
1.9 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.6 |
|
Via Sofascore |
|
Such was his impact at the start of last season, former Arsenal midfielder turned pundit, Paul Merson, claimed that the winger could turn into a “superstar” for City.
Indeed, when compared with his peers across the big five European leagues, Savinho ranks in the top 4% for progressive carries (6.61) and in the top 4% for successful take-ons (2.69) and touches in the attacking penalty area (7.57) over the previous 365 days.
These statistics are evidence of his stature among the best wide players on the continent, and he will only go from strength to strength next season.
According to the Football Observatory, Savinho is currently valued at €100.5m (£85m) after an excellent debut season in the Premier League.
Therefore, he is worth more than what look to be two of City’s newest arrivals, demonstrating how good he has been since the start of last season.
Guardiola will be hoping that Reijnders and Cherki can make similar sorts of impacts at the club when the 2025/26 campaign begins in August. No doubt about that.
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