Guardiola to be handed a £200m pot
PEP GUARDIOLA will be handed up to £200million to keep Premier League champions Manchester City ahead of the chasing pack.
The manager is set to strengthen in at least three positions this summer in a bid to keep City as the dominant force in England and turn them into a side capable of winning the Champions League.
Guardiola, who has already overseen a total spend of £448m in his two seasons in charge, has been promised more significant funds by the City hierarchy and is set to take his overall spend at the Etihad Stadium to £650m this summer.
He has targeted a centre-back, holding midfielder and versatile forward as the positions he feels need addressing, with City having already identified several targets they are keen to tie up before the World Cup begins in June.
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Fred, Napoli’s Jorginho, Nice’s Jean-Michel Seri and BY DAVID McDONNELL Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Weigl – all of whom would cost around £40m each – are among Guardiola’s central midfield targets, with Yaya Toure leaving and Fernandinho needing the burden eased on him.
Guardiola is also keen on Monaco’s £90m-rated forward Thomas Lemar, while City may yet resurrect their £60m bid for Leicester playmaker Riyad Mahrez which failed to come off in January.
With Vincent Kompany no longer able to play the bulk of a season and John Stones having struggled this term a centre-back is also on Guardiola’s list, with Spurs’ Toby Alderweireld potentially following former team-mate Kyle Walker to the Etihad.
City’s title-winning squad are set to share a huge £10m bonus pot for their stunning league triumph, with some players poised to pocket a one-off payment in excess of £1m for their efforts.