Manchester City experienced a disappointing 2019/2020 season by their high standards. The Cityzens were truly outclassed by Liverpool in the Premier League title race as they finished 18 points behind them on the table.
Elsewhere, they were eliminated from the FA Cup by Arsenal at the semi-final stage while they suffered a shock defeat to Lyon in the Champions League quarter-final. Hence, they ended their campaign with only the League Cup title on their hands and will be aiming to make an improvement next term.
The club have been pretty active during the early phase of the summer transfer window with the signings of Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres from Bournemouth and Valencia respectively, but there could be a number of more additions to the squad ahead of a strong challenge for the league title.
The decision to opt against a replacement for Vincent Kompany last summer cost the club dearly, but they have shown the intent to reinforce the central defence this time around. Ake has already been added to the mix, but the Cityzens still seem to be keen on landing Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.
Koulibaly has been linked with a Premier League move for a number of years and the Senegal international could finally make the switch to England. The club are said to have a gentleman’s agreement to land the centre-back from the Naples outfit and it is only a matter of time before he makes the move for an initial £63m.
Elsewhere, Jack Grealish has reemerged as a target for Guardiola’s side. According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the club have moved ahead of Manchester United in the player’s pursuit and are open to signing him at the right price this summer.
Aston Villa are obviously keen on tying up their captain to a new long-term contract, but Grealish seems likely to be on the move. The former England youth international is eager to pursue a bigger challenge with a club capable of offering him Champions League football.
Meanwhile, talking about exits. Claudio Bravo recently left the club on a free transfer after four seasons. With the Chilean’s departure, Zack Steffen, who arrived from Columbus Crew last summer, is expected to take up the back-up goalkeeping role behind Ederson, with Scott Carson acting as the third-choice shot-stopper.
Steffen spent the previous campaign on loan with Fortuna Dusseldorf, but he appears set to be integrated into the squad. Meanwhile, Carson did not make a single appearance after joining the Cityzens on loan from Derby County, but the club have extended his temporary stay for another year.
Guardiola was unable to keep Leroy Sane at the club earlier this summer and he could lose another quality player in the form of Eric Garcia. The Spanish centre-back has entered the final year of his contract and Barcelona are hoping to re-sign their former graduate.
The Mancunian giants have set an asking price of around £20m, but the Blaugrana are reluctant to meet the valuation. It remains to be seen whether the Cityzens lower their price tag, considering the risk of losing the teenager on a free transfer in 10 months’ time.