Manchester City close to signing Leroy Sane replacement

Pep Guardiola is itching to regain Premier League summit next season.

After losing the pinnacle of English football league to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool by a whopping 18-point margin, a major shakeup has been anticipated at Manchester City this summer.

The plans of the rebuild were delayed due to the uncertain verdict on their Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal following the European ban for two seasons.

Now, escaping competition ban with a reduction of a monetary fine from €30m to €10m, Man City are planning a gung-ho approach in the ongoing transfer market, with a major squad reshuffle on the horizon for Pep Guardiola.

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Blessed with a perennial source of revenue owing to a wealthy middle-eastern owner, the Sky Blues have come out of the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic unharmed. And, just a few days into the market, Man City have almost secured their maiden summer signing.

With Leroy Sane making a move back to his homeland at Bayern Munich, the Cityzens were on the lookout of a technical winger, blessed with blistering pace and directness in his playing approach.

Guardiola identified Valencia’s Ferran Torres as the perfect candidate to inject energy on his flanks. Predominantly a right-winger, the Spanish attacker is capable of operating on either flank.

In the 2019/20 campaign, the Spain youth international has managed six goals and eight assists across competitions for Valencia. Torres, 20, still, is learning his trade in senior football and a move to City might be a suitable career option at this point, considering Guardiola’s track record of aiding wide attacker in realising their potential.

Developments suggest that a fee of £20.9m/€23m has been agreed between the clubs, a relatively cheap deal considering the inflated prices in the current market. Understanding is that Man City are having advanced talks with Valencia over finalising details on potential add-ons which take the fee up to £31.8m/€35m, before making the deal official.

"Man City will be paying Valencia an initial €23m euros (£20.9m) with more in add ons. Still a bit to do but he’ll likely become Guardiola’s first summer signing. (James Ducker, The Telegraph)"

For Manchester City, Ferran Torres is just the start with Pep Guardiola targeting at least four signings in the summer with an emphasis on defensive targets. Recently, the Blues have been linked with Kalidou Koulibaly, Nathan Ake, and Pau Torres as centre-half reinforcements.

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