Kalidou Koulibaly would be a top addition to this Liverpool squad (Getty Images)
Manchester City face a crucial summer in their fight to wrestle the Premier League title back from rivals Liverpool. The Reds blew a hole in Pep Guardiola’s chances of winning three-in-a-row last season and there could be no arguments from either side as Jurgen Klopp was crowned king of English football.
The race is now on to get the fightback underway and Pep will look to strengthen his side in the summer transfer window to ensure the Cityzens are in a position to lay down a challenge. The jury remains out on Liverpool with some football fans expecting the side to kick-on and dominate while critics suggest Klopp is putting too much of a strain on his best players and it will all blow up in his face when fatigue grips the squad.
Regardless of which argument is closer to the truth, Man City must get their own house in order without worrying too much about what’s going on over at Anfield. The board are likely to back Pep with a hefty transfer kitty again, but the free-spending club have learned they must be cute with how they invest their cash after narrowly avoiding a ban from European football for breaching financial fair play rules. They have the money but it’s no longer a case of simply spending it.
Who will Guardiola target this summer? The latest rumours have linked him strongly with Kalidou Koulibaly and the Napoli star is seen as just the kind of player needed to help tighten up Man City’s defence. The signing of Koulibaly would be a real signal of intent from the club but if they are to land their man, they won’t get him on the cheap.
Gossip columns have been running with some crazy transfer fees now the Premier League season is over, but the general feeling appears to be around the £90m mark. That won’t put Man City’s backers off but they face a war as the star could land in another PL destination as well. Liverpool are said to be extremely interested as they aim to build on the success of their last two seasons.
Building a strong defence will be key to Man City’s quest to get back on top but they are also said to be in the market for replacements for David Silva and Sergio Aguero. Both have been tremendous servants for the club over the years and are good enough to score plenty more important goals but the general idea amongst fans is an investment in youth is required.
Nathan Ake recently joined up from Bournemouth for a fee believed to be in the region of £40m and the new recruit joined Ferran Torres who put pen to paper on a deal from Valencia. It will be a source of encouragement for fans to see their club do business early as that will help settle new players in and increase the chances of them hitting the ground running for September’s start.
Bookies keep faith with Man City
Bookmakers have been impressed by the club’s spending power this summer and traders at many of the top firms are keeping faith win Man City. The team have been marked by football bookies as the top team to beat next year.
Liverpool have set themselves up as the team to beat in England, but Manchester City seem determined to return to the throne. With improvement expected from Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham, we could be set for a highly competitive season.
