CITY’S £200M PLUNGE
They want Haaland AND Grealish to replace Aguero!
MANCHESTER CITY plan to make a major splash this summer with attempts to land both Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish.
Sportsmail understands the Borussia Dortmund striker and Aston Villa captain are top of City’s transfer wishlist as Pep Guardiola gears up to freshen his squad. The pair would be expected to cost close to £200million — a strong display of intent by a club on the verge of sealing a third Premier League title in four seasons.
City were preparing to sign a new striker before Monday’s announcement that record goalscorer Sergio Aguero will depart when his contract expires in June after 10 years’ service.
Haaland, 20, has long been Guardiola’s primary target as the team’s next main striker and boasts an enviable scoring return this season, with 39 goals in 38 games for club and country.
The Norway international, whose father Alfie spent three years as a player at City, is set to line up against his suitors in a Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Guardiola’s fractious relationship with Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola is not thought to have a bearing on City’s pursuit. Raiola suggested
yesterday that he has ‘closed the book’ on their public disagreements. Interest in Grealish, 25, has accelerated over the past few weeks and there is hope a deal can be struck with Aston Villa despite his club’s wealthy owners meaning they have no imperative to sell their skipper. City’s pursuit of him and Haaland suggests they are looking for a younger age profile of player. Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne will all be 30 before next season begins. It is hoped a new contract can be finalised with De Bruyne in the coming months. Haaland is the preferred option in the central attacking area but City will have alternatives in case they are gazumped by Chelsea or Real Madrid. Harry Kane, who recently admitted he will decide his Tottenham future after Euro 2020 this summer, is an obvious choice and a player revered by Guardiola. In an interview yesterday on talkSPORT, the City boss continued his praise of Aguero, saying he is ‘irreplaceable’. Guardiola added: ‘He’s a legend, the best striker this club has ever had… but he’s irreplaceable in the mind for our fans, to our people and to the players that played alongside him or the managers who worked with him. ‘He is a fantastic person, a fantastic human being and I am pretty sure that if his mind is still aggressive like he is he can extend his career longer than maybe two or three or four or five years.’