Manchester City and Pep Guardiola are interested in re-signing a “powerful” £15 million player after the return of Ilkay Gundogan over the summer.
The Blues winless run in all competitions continued over the weekend, as they were demolished 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad, a result that now leaves them eight points behind leaders Liverpool.
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Man City transfer rumours
These five defeats in a row may have alerted Guardiola to what areas of his team need strengthening, as their bid to retain the Premier League title looks to be getting weaker and weaker as the weeks go on.
January is always a hard time to do transfer business, but City appear to have their eyes on one or two players ahead of it opening. It has been claimed that City are preparing to make an approach to sign Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace in January. Wharton hasn’t been at Selhurst Park for long, but he has already worked his way into the England set-up, and now the Blues are ready to test their resolve by making a move in January, as he’s seen as a long-term replacement for Rodri.
As well as holding an interest in Wharton, Man City are also eyeing a move for Maximillian Araujo from Sporting Lisbon. Araujo has become a top-performing player after Ruben Amorim’s management, and now City are keeping a close eye on him ahead of potentially making a move. Guardiola isn’t stopping there, as the Blues are also keeping an eye on a player who they know very well.
Man City and Pep plotting move to re-sign Liam Delap
According to Football Insider, Manchester City are plotting a move to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap after he only departed the club in the summer. The 21-year-old came through the academy at Derby County but was snapped up by the Blues in 2019, and he went on to play for their under-18s and under-21s, as well as making six appearances in the first team.
Delap, who joined Ipswich for an initial £15 million in the summer, had a few loan spells away from City while at the club, and his performances at Hull City obviously left Kieran McKenna impressed, as he brought the striker to Portman Road.
The forward, who has been described as “powerful” by Ben Futcher, has settled into life at Ipswich and in the Premier League very well, and now this report states that Man City are weighing up their options of bringing the player back to the club.
Delap signed a five-year contract when he joined Ipswich, and as part of the deal that saw him leave City, they reportedly inserted a buy-back clause in the deal. They also have a sell-on clause, which means they can benefit from him leaving Ipswich and joining another club.
It is unclear how much the buy-back clause could be worth, but if true, it gives City an opportunity to bring Delap back to them months after Gundogan sealed his return to Manchester.
