Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly instructed the club’s board to sign one of Europe’s most in-form young forwards as he looks to strengthen his side’s attack.
The Premier League champions had a relatively quiet summer transfer window, bringing in £30million Brazilian winger Savinho before sealing the return of Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from Barcelona.
But with 33-year-old Kevin De Bruyne’s contract ticking down and speculation over the long-term future of Erling Haaland, Guardiola may feel that fresh blood is needed.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola eyes Karim Adeyemi move
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the City boss believes Borussia Dortmund attacker Karim Adeyemi could be ‘a key piece’ in his attacking line-up next season and has instructed the board to move for the 22-year-old.
The report adds that Adeyemi’s speed, growing maturity and ability to break down defences makes Adeyemi an ideal fit for Guardiola’s style of play.
Adeyemi has enjoyed an excellent start to the season which was reinforced on Tuesday night when he scored a devastating first-half hat-trick for Dortmund in their 7-1 thrashing of Celtic in the Champions League.
This has come after he played a key part in Dortmund’s run to the final of the competition last season as he established himself as one of the best young players in the Bundesliga last term.
Adeyemi’s pace is likely to especially appeal to Guardiola, with the former Red Bull Salzburg star breaking the record for the fastest player in Bundesliga history last year when he hit a speed of 36.65 kilometres per hour during a match against Freiburg.
Adeyemi earned a debut for the German national team in 2021 and would earn four caps before dropping back to the under-21 team and has previously been linked to Liverpool, Arsenal and, inevitably, Chelsea.
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In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Adeyemi’s recent progress, as underlined by his treble against Celtic this week, is evidence that he can cut it at the top level and it is no surprise to see a big team linked with him and his skillset does look to be a good fit for Guardiola's City team.
Adeyemi is valued at €28million by Transfermarkt, but his early-season performances which have seen him net five goals and provide five assists in eight games so far, suggest that this is on the low side.
