Manchester City could be set to trigger the release clause for a £150,000-per-week midfielder in the summer transfer window.
Manchester City looking to strengthen their midfield ranks
Manchester City have been one of the most dominant Premier League teams in history over the last decade, with the Cityzens winning five of the last nine top flight campaigns.
Granted, their winning streaks have been interrupted by the likes of Liverpool and Leicester, however, across all competitions, Pep Guardiola's men have been the most feared in recent years, due in no small part to their ability to quickly recognise declining points in the squad and then upgrade them. For example, last summer, City sold the likes of Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez, but still have Jack Grealish and Phil Foden within their ranks, also adding Jeremy Doku.
Despite their dominance, key players such as Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne are all starting to enter the 'twilight' stages of their careers. De Bruyne is 32-years-old and has spent a large chunk of this season on the sidelines due the injuries.
This has resulted in Guardiola relying heavily on the likes of Bernardo Silva – who himself is often linked with a move away – while Matheus Nunes was brought in over the summer to fill the gaps which the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Cole Palmer left upon their departures. However, the addition of the Portugal international hasn't quite worked out as well as City would've hoped.
Matehus Nunes' season so far
Games
23
Goals
0
Assists
5
Data from Transfermarkt
Although he has been involved in many games across the season, he has only started 13 games in all competitions. So, it comes as no surprise that Manchester City are reportedly looking at some midfield targets for the upcoming window.
City ready to bring midfield "magician" to the club
Described as a "magician" by journalist, Robbie Mustoe, Lucas Paqueta has been on Guardiola's radar for some time now. Before eventually going for Nunes in the summer, Paqueta found himself as the number one target for Guardiola, with the club even going as far as making an offer for the midfielder. Now, City are 'ready' to make another bid for the West Ham star.
That is according to The Mail, via TEAMtalk, who state that the Brazil international has a '£86m release clause in his contract' which will become 'active' in the summer. The 26-year-old would be able to instantly provide cover for players such as De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and Nunes and would be desperate to gain a starting spot.
Indeed, the addition of Paqueta would be a stellar signing by Guardiola, and he would likely hope that he could become a sort of 'understudy' to star man De Bruyne in the coming years due to the versatility which he possesses.
Additionally, despite Silva playing an important role for the Cityzens this season by playing a total of 35 games and contributing to 13 goals, he has been linked with a move away from the club. So, if his departure does come to fruition, Paqueta could be an ideal replacement for Guardiola next season which makes the transfer seem even more sensible.
