- Manchester City are expected to spend during the January transfer window
- The champions are 14 points behind league leaders Liverpool and sit in seventh
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism has gone at Old Trafford
Pep Guardiola has lined up a big-money five-man wishlist in a bid to halt Manchester City’s nightmare run of form, according to reports.
City have won just one of their past 13 games and slipped to seventh in the Premier League table, 14 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool.
As a result, Mail Sport understands the club are willing to splash the cash to freshen up their squad in the hope of triggering a desperately needed reset.
Indeed, they are keen to land three targets next month and want a centre back, full back, two midfielders and two forwards over the course of the next two windows.
The Times have claimed that the five players targeted by Guardiola are Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.
Zubimendi is indeed admired by City and, alongside Guimaraes, would help to solve City’s midfield conundrum with lynchpin Rodri ruled out for the rest of the campaign.
Pep Guardiola has lined up a five-man wishlist to help stop Manchester City’s horror form
City have won just one of their past 13 games and slipped to seventh in the Premier League
The club are open to splashing the cash to reinforce several areas in their squad
City have been linked with both players previously but the moves are expected to be difficult, especially in the winter window. Zubimendi snubbed Liverpool during the summer and is understood to again be reluctant to leave Sociedad next month.
Musiala and Wirtz have impressed in the Bundesliga but will not come cheap with Bayern and Leverkusen unlikely to be open to selling their superstars.
Centre back Guehi saw several bids in the region of £70million from Newcastle rejected by Palace in the summer after several strong displays with England at Euro 2024. Manchester United are also touted to swoop for the 24-year-old.
As reported by Mail Sport this morning, Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush, valued at £40m, is under consideration, as is a return for Ipswich’s Liam Delap. There is also a possibility of a deal for Dani Olmo with Barcelona unable to register him.
Talented Palace midfielder Adam Wharton also has admirers at the Etihad.
Juma Bah, on loan at Real Valladolid from AIK Freetong, and Everton centre half Jarrad Branthwaite are understood to be two defenders on City’s radar.
Guardiola made no secret of his desire to bring in reinforcements after City’s 1-1 draw with Everton, telling Amazon Prime: ‘We have to add players. Definitely. Definitely.
‘We struggle especially in the back and in the middle. I think we have to but I don’t know if it’s going to happen. The transfer window in winter is not easy.’
Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi has admirers at City but may not move next month
Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes is also on City’s radar but will not come cheap
Jamal Musiala (left) and Florian Wirtz (right) are two potential attacking options for City
Marc Guehi is also thought to be of interest to City after impressing for Crystal Palace
The Catalan has also vowed not to walk away as he aims to turn around City’s form.
Ahead of City’s trip to Leicester City today, he said: ‘I will try, I will keep going.
‘I will not give up. I want to be here. I want to do it and, with the situation that we have, we have to do it. Of course I want it [end the run], everyone wants it.
‘I don’t want to disappoint my people in terms of the club, the fans, the people who love this club. I think all of us in our job want to do it well and please the people.
‘That is undeniable, not a question mark.
‘The biggest test is to come back again, but we have done that before.’
