Manchester City are now readying a bid in excess of £40m to sign an AC Milan star for Pep Guardiola as they look to reverse their form over the coming months.
Man City continue to slide after derby defeat
A shock 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium continued Man City’s woeful form, with two late goals seeing them fall apart once more in the closing stages of a game.
Though still fifth in the Premier League, they sit nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand on the reigning champions, and they boast relegation form in recent weeks.
The Cityzens had not lost a game until a 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham on October 30th, but have since lost eight games in all competitions, winning just one in 11 and with no obvious reason behind their slump.
|
Manchester City’s last 11 games (all competitions) |
|
|---|---|
|
Wins |
1 |
|
Losses |
8 |
|
Goals scored |
13 |
|
Goals conceded |
25 |
|
Points per game |
0.45 |
Their Champions League fate hangs by a thread, with City currently 22nd in the table and facing PSG and Club Brugge in their final two games, in which they will likely need at least one win. Perhaps most concerningly, Guardiola himself admitted that he didn’t have the answers to City’s evident problems.
“I am not good enough”, he explained after the defeat to Man Utd. “I am the boss. I am the manager. I have to find solutions and so far I haven’t. That’s the reality.”
“Not much else to say. No defence. Manchester United were incredibly persistent. We have not lost eight games in two seasons. We can’t defend that.”
Some of those answers may come in the January transfer window, and now Manchester City seem keen to bolster their midfield with a new signing.
Man City prepare offer for AC Milan midfielder
That comes as a fresh report from Spain claims that Manchester City are readying an audacious offer to sign AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
The Dutchman is enjoying a stellar season at San Siro, having grabbed three goals and two assists in 14 Serie A outings this season.
His campaign has been dubbed “insane” by football analyst Ben Mattinson, who claimed on X that Reijnders was probably in the “top 5 midfielders on form right now”.
And the report claims that his performances have caught the eye of Guardiola himself, who “would be delighted to incorporate him” into his side and believes that he would provide “freshness, balance, and versatility to the midfield”.
To that end, City are preparing to offer a sum “close to €50 million” (£41.3m) to try and persuade him to swap Milan for Manchester.
They will have to work hard and move fast though; Reijnders just last month admitted that a new contract with Milan was close, though crucially it has not been signed yet.
“I’m set to sign new deal at AC Milan and I’m so happy! This is a massive club and to extend after just one season means a lot. I didn’t sign yet but we’re almost there.”
Could Man City change his mind with their offer, or will Guardiola be forced to move on from the 26-year-old?
