Manchester City are stepping up their pursuit of AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders before the club travel to America for the Club World Cup. Reijnders is expected to cost over £55m this summer after a brilliant season in Serie A, where he scored 15 goals in all competitions and was voted the best midfielder of the year in the Italian championship.
Milan fans have been complaining about the team's poor form and the possibility of their talents leaving this transfer window, but it seems that won't stop Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard wants to strengthen the midfield to compete on all fronts. He has stressed that, although he constantly gives his thoughts on changes to the team, the final decisions will be made by the club's board.
One of the big changes to the structure is expected to be the arrival of Hugo Viana as the new sporting director, replacing Txiki Begiristain, a change that signals a new spirit at the Etihad. In addition to Reijnders, City are also hoping to bring in Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, recently called up to the England national team, to provide his creativity in midfield.
Guardiola has suggested that major changes will be minimal, but Manchester City are looking for at least one full-back, with Wolves' Rayan Ait-Nouri a long-term target, but there are also a number of young midfielders who would complete Guardiola's ideal squad for next season. Meanwhile, the futures of Ederson and Matheus Nunes remain unclear, while Jack Grealish could leave, a move that could impact the budget for further transfers.
After qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for next season, Guardiola said that with Rodri and Phil Foden in the lineup they would be more competitive, even though Liverpool won the title. He stressed that, for next season, the club will make the decisions, while he will continue to give suggestions and keep the players' morale high, to compete in every competition.
