Man City chasing ‘one of the world’s best CMs’

It seems like Manchester City will need a midfield overhaul in the summer transfer window. We already know that Kevin De Bruyne will leave the club, after that was announced before the Manchester Derby a few weeks ago.

However, he is not the only midfielder who could depart. Sky Sports have reported recently that Bernardo Silva has been told he will be sold in the 2025 summer transfer window, as the Citizens look to refresh their options ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, which needs wholesale improvement.

With at least two players in the centre of the park set to leave the club, City need to add new options to the squad. They have recently been linked with one Premier League player.

Man City target Premier League midfielder

There are several midfielders in the Premier League whom you might think City will target this summer with Morgan Gibbs-White reportedly on the shortlist. The latest on that is the Citizens are ‘leading’ the race to sign the Nottingham Forest talent.

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Still, if recent reports are to be believed, then Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United is the latest star they are linked with.

According to recent reports from Spain, the Citizens ‘have set their sights on the Italian midfielder’ ahead of a busy summer and they have ‘the intention of signing him’ in the coming months, to spearhead their midfield redevelopment.

However, they are not going to be alone in this pursuit. In fact, they might not face harder competition, with LaLiga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona also targeting a move for Tonali.

For any of the three sides interested, this deal won’t come cheap. The report suggests he won’t be any less than £69m, if a deal is to be struck.

Why Tonali would be a good signing for Man City

It has been an impressive campaign for enterprising Italian midfielder Tonali. The 24-year-old has become a key part of Eddie Howe’s midfield at St James’ Park, and was even described as “one of the best midfielders in the world” by his agent Giuseppe Rossi.

This term, Tonali has played 40 games across all competitions. In that time, he’s managed to find the back of the net on five occasions and grab eight assists, operating as a number 6 and a number 8.

One of the standout features of the former Milan star’s game is his box-crashing tendency. He often makes runs from deep to get on the end of crosses, or links up play and carries on his runs to get into goalscoring positions. Take his goal against Manchester United earlier this month as an example.

Should the East Mancunian outfit seriously pursue a move for Tonali this summer, he could be the perfect alternative to another Newcastle midfielder they are linked with, Bruno Guimaraes. As per a report from TEAMtalk in mid-March, City are ‘planning a summer bid’ for the Brazilian.

He, too, would be a strong signing for Pep Guardiola’s side. Like Tonali, the 27-year-old has played an important role for the Magpies this term, scoring and assisting 12 times in 42 appearances. That included two assists in a 3-3 draw against Liverpool.

With that being said, there is not too much difference between the pair statistically, according to FBref. In fact, the pair are neck and neck in several key metrics. For example, Tonali averages 6.45 ball recoveries and 3.43 passes into the final third per game, compared to 4.97 ball recoveries and 4.78 final third passes per 90 minutes.

Tonali & Guimaraes key stats compared
Stat (per 90)	Tonali	Guimaraes
Passes completed	42.3	49.8
Passes into final third	3.43	4.78
Tackles and interceptions	3.06	3.09
Progressive carries	1.32	1.56
Ball recoveries	6.45	4.97
Stats from FBref

It certainly seems like Tonali would be a major addition for City in the middle of the park. If Guimaraes is unattainable in the 2025 summer window, his teammate would offer a brilliant solution, and his box-crashing abilities and work rate off the ball would suit City down to a tee.