Manchester City are setting up a trio of January signings to salvage their season.
The Premier League champions had lost five games in a row in all competitions prior to last night's Champions League fixture at home to Feyenoord. Despite going three goals up, however, the Rotterdam outfit pegged back Pep Guardiola's side to snatch a 3-3 draw.
The Catalan appeared distressed post-match, with scratches on his face, as Manchester City prepare to act and change the tide on a season that's currently heading south.
Manchester City are preparing three new signings
City have a number of issues within their team, with Rodri's current injury being the biggest. The Spaniard – ranked at no.5 in FourFourTwo's list of the best players in the world right now – is irreplaceable for Guardiola.
But there have been other issues, too. In attack, Erling Haaland has scored just twice from 8.03 xG in the Premier League since the draw against Arsenal, while Kevin De Bruyne has missed much of the season through injury, and the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish have been out of form.
Spanish outlet Fichajes reports that City is lining up three new buys to address the problems in their squad, starting with Martin Zubimendi in midfield.
The Euro 2024 winner rejected Liverpool over the summer, opting to stay at Real Sociedad. City are said to be prepared to offer a big financial package in order to push the deal through, however, in order to secure the No.6.
With attack a concern for the Sky Blues, too, however, there are two stars on the shortlist for Guardiola. Maximiliano Araujo, who played in Sporting's 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal last night is being linked with his ability to play on both flanks a considerable bonus, with Savinho and Jeremy Doku both struggling in recent weeks.
Finally, perhaps the biggest deal that City would like to pull off is Florian Wirtz – though Fichajes note that it'll likely cost nine figures.
Ranked at No.5 in FourFourTwo's list of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now, the German is perhaps the most sought-after player on Earth. FourFourTwo understands that City's interest in Wirtz is longstanding, however they'll have to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid if they want to tie him down.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, signing three players in winter is ambitious – especially considering that it could total as much as £250 million. But bringing in at least one of these three players feels likely, with a defensive midfielder top of the club's priorities.
Wirtz is destined for a Ballon d'Or, says FourFourTwo's German football expert, Ed McCambridge
At the age of 21, Florian Wirtz is already considered one of the world’s finest playmakers after inspiring Bayer Leverkusen to the Double last campaign.
His control, vision and finishing saw him achieve double figures for Bundesliga goals and assists, tallies without which those achievements would have been impossible. Alongside Jamal Musiala, he’s considered the jewel in Germany’s footballing crown and already a guaranteed starter for the Nationalmannschaft.
A generational talent of rare intelligence and technical ability, if he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or, I’ll eat my Lederhosen.
