According to reports, Manchester City has said they will make “a couple more” additions to Pep Guardiola’s squad this summer, the information was made known by the club’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. Despite winning a fourth Premier League title in five seasons, City has paid £51.2m to bring in 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
In addition, they have spent £14.1m on 22-year-old Argentina forward Julian Alvarez. But the club’s chairman Mubarak, speaking to City’s website, said: “We are looking to strengthen areas we need to strengthen.” He also said: “Every season some players leave and we have to refresh. We will be doing a couple more. We will try to go as fast as we can but it is not always entirely in our control.”
Following club captain Fernandinho’s departure, it is understood City is targeting Leeds’ England midfielder, Kalvin Phillips. However, any move for the 26-year-old will be harder now Leeds has retained their top-flight status. Pep Guardiola also has a long-standing desire to bring in another left-back, with Brighton’s Marc Cucurella, 23, thought to be high on that list.
Manchester City, for all their domestic success, is yet to win the Champions League and Mubarak has underlined the club’s desire to compete for major honors, rather than have a stated aim to win any individual competition. “We approach every season to try to win every competition,” he added. “That has been the case for the last 10 years. You cannot argue in the last six years under Pep, we show up every game with the full intention to try to win.”
“Pep has never stayed as long at any club as he has at Manchester City,” he said. “It is a partnership that has done wonders. Next year will be another exciting chapter. The conversation will be at the right time and pace and within a framework that works for Pep.”