Manchester City, potentially, have a huge problem to solve this summer, with David Silva deciding against renewing his contract.
Silva is arguably the club's best ever player and even at 34, has been one of the Cityzens' most consistent performers, with a noticeable difference in quality when he's not around.
The Spaniard’s ability to find passes nobody else has even contemplated, create opportunities from nothing and score when City really need a goal will be something that will be sorely missed once he finally departs the Etihad - and Pep Guardiola knows it.
So what next for Guardiola? While City have players like Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden at the club, perhaps neither are the right fit to step in - Bernardo preferring a wider role on the right, while Foden is yet to be given an extended run in the team.
The transfer market beckons, but where should Guardiola be looking? Here's three targets he should be keeping tabs on to fill the David Silva shaped hole that's about to appear.
Kai Havertz
The closest Man City will get to David Silva's quality right now is in the form of Kai Havertz, who is one of the most exciting players in world football today.
The German operates down the middle of the pitch as if he owns it, and often he does. He’s fast, skilful and can score more than his fair share of goals, Havertz is truly a superstar in the making, and he’s already played over 100 Bundesliga games for Leverkusen, also being capped seven times by his country at the age of 20.
While City are likely to face competition from Liverpool and Bayern Munich for Havertz, if they’re serious about maintaining the highest quality, they should go all out to secure the Leverkusen man on a long term contract.
Potential Price: £80m - £90m
Martin Ødegaard
How is Ødegaard still 21? It’s been nearly six years since the Norwegian made headlines for making his international debut at the tender age of 15 years old. He was meant to be the new Pele, but after jumping at the chance to join Real Madrid at 16, his career stalled.
However, after a few difficult years with the weight of expectation on his shoulders, Ødegaard knuckled down during a few loan moves and has this season been one of the best players in La Liga, on loan at Real Sociedad.
He’s been so good in fact, that he finally got his hands on the Norwegian Player of the Year award - ahead of a certain Erling Haaland.
It's not yet known whether his ship has sailed in Madrid, but there's no doubting that he's good enough to play for one of the world's best. A new start in Manchester could be the perfect remedy for him.
Potential Price: £35m - £50m
Jack Grealish
The risk with buying abroad is that no matter how talented the player is, he may struggle to settle into the Premier League.
That wouldn’t be a problem with Grealish, who’s proven at Aston Villa this season that he’s a real star.
An all action number 10, capable of spraying passes, taking on defences and scoring from anywhere, Grealish can really do it all - and is pretty handy over set pieces. The Villa captain's price is likely to drop because of the coronavirus pandemic, while relegation from the Premier League will ensure that he's cheaper than the original £80m tag being banded about.
He’s handy from a dead ball too. The Villa captain will no doubt be a cut price should his team be relegated too, which could allow City more funds to spend elsewhere without cutting the quality here.
City will face competition from Tottenham and neighbourhood rivals Manchester United for the Englishman, but if they can guarantee Grealish as much football as their rivals, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be wearing Sky Blue next season.
Potential Price: £35m - £45m
Source :
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