It’s not too long to wait now for Manchester City fans as next month’s Premier League opener away at Wolverhampton Wanderers gradually sneaks into view.
This summer has been a busy one for Pep Guardiola so far, as the Spaniard attempts to restore the Citizens to their former glories after a disappointing 24/25 campaign, with James Trafford the next standout purchase on the City agenda, after already snapping up the likes of Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders for mega bucks.
Trafford will cost around the £27m mark to bring back to his boyhood club, with the Burnley shot-stopper set to undergo a medical very soon to officially seal the deal.
City are unlikely to be done there as they continue to revamp their options, as a fresh approach is now in the offing for City to land a long-term target to complement the Englishman at the back.
Man City weigh up £50m approach
Burnley aren’t the only Premier League side wary of City’s increased summer spending, with West Ham United also hesitant as Guardiola and Co begin to look at Lucas Paqueta as a potential buy in the middle of the park.
Reports have suggested that the Citizens could snap up the services of the Brazilian for around the £40m price range, having excited those at the London Stadium with his full-throttle displays centrally.
For £10m more, however, City could fix a big problem area in their XI, with a new development from football journalist Dean Jones, when appearing on the Transfers from Paradise podcast, revealing that City have made a fresh approach for Newcastle United star Tino Livramento.
The Magpies, of course, won’t want to lose Livramento as Alexander Isak is also edging towards the St James’ Park exit door.
But, it remains to be seen whether £50m would be enough to prise the 22-year-old away from Tyneside, with Livramento going down as a better signing than Paqueta in finally offering City a fresh defender down their depleted right flank.
Why Livramento would be a better signing than Paqueta
In Paqueta’s defence, he has proven himself to be a bright spark for the Hammers when he hasn’t been embroiled in some off-field issues, as seen in his weighty 18 goals and 14 assists for West Ham over 120 appearances.
However, there is no guarantee he will upset the first team apple cart if he were to switch the London Stadium for the Etihad, with City very much well-stocked in the middle of the park, with Reijnders also joining Guardiola’s camp this summer.
On top of that, the Spaniard also has promising talents such as Claudio Echeverri, whom he can call upon in the number ten spot, alongside Jeremy Doku, who has shown flashes of his excellence donning City sky blue, when collecting 14 goals and 20 assists down the left flank, where Paqueta is also comfortable playing.
His versatility might well have come in handy, but it’s been a clear issue for City since Joao Cancelo’s exit that they are in dire need of an expansive, attack-minded full-back on the right, with Livramento emerging as the perfect candidate to boost the Citizens in this spot on the pitch.
RB
87
1
6
RM
36
3
11
LB
19
0
1
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4
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Across his career to date, the one-time senior England international has stood out as a forward-thinking defender, with a bumper three goals and 11 assists even coming his way when lining up as a right midfielder.
Away from just his output, however, last season in the Premier League also showed off Livramento’s drive and determination to defend valiantly for Eddie Howe’s men, as the 22-year-old bettered stand-in City option Matheus Nunes when it came to ball recovery numbers, with Livramento winning 5.1 on average next to his counterpart’s lesser 2.7.
The hope will be that Livramento can only get better when adjusting to his new environment, having been praised for his “aggressive” and “frontfoot” approach by Howe regularly, on top of also being lauded as possessing a “bright future” in the game by ex-defensive great Ashley Cole.
Whilst Paqueta would no doubt offer City quality as well, he might be more impactful from a background role.
Whereas, the “outstanding” £50m ace – as football journalist Jacob Whitehead has glowingly labelled him – has the potential to be City’s starter on the right for many years to come.
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