5 Players Man City Should Target That Can Walk Into The First Team At The Etihad Next Summer

Pep Guardiola’s first ever adventure in the Premier League is not going according to plan as his Manchester City side are currently out of a Champions League spot. The manager spent insane amounts of money on the squad in the summer but is not able to find consistency this season, leaving the out of the title race.

Guardiola is looking to add few more players to the squad this month and will surely do so at the end of the season. The squad at the Etihad has a decent balance with star players in most positions but the former Barcelona manager will want to get more quality into the first team to try and help his side compete for the title next season. Here are 5 such players Guardiola should target for the summer, who can walk into the squad at the Etihad:

Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona):

The Croatian international is a mainstay at Barcelona under Luis Enrique but he has faced a dip in form in recent times and is finding it hard to cling on to a place in the starting XI at the Camp Nou. He is reportedly looking for a better option and Guardiola is one of the many managers who would want to snap him up. He can play alongside Gundogan in the midfield, which will make the Manchester City side one of the strongest in the competition.

Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain):

The likes of Fernandinho and Fernando have not been able to control the midfield like Pep Guardiola wants his pivot to and this has sent the manager into the transfer market in search of a top class midfielder. PSG’s want away star Marco Verratti will be high on the wish list as the 25-year old is one of the most exciting players in his position in Europe at the moment. He will walk into the first team straight away at the Etihad and will surely make them a more potent force at both ends of the field.

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid):

The French international is easily one of the best strikers in world football at the moment and he is reportedly up for grabs at the end of the season. Manchester United are already keeping tabs on him and Pep Guardiola, who has already revealed that Sergio Aguero could be up for sale in the summer, is also interested. The Atletico Madrid man is in the form of his life at the moment and will be the first choice striker at the club if he makes the move to England and has every opportunity to write his name in the Premier League history.

Hector Bellerin (Arsenal):

The latest name linked with a move to Manchester City is Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin who signed a new contract not too long ago at the Emirates. The Spaniard is among the best in the business in the league and has been a long-term target for Pep Guardiola who is reportedly set to make a bid for him in the summer. Though he is not an easy fish to catch, Bellerin will be an upgrade on Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy at the club this season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund):

Another striker that Pep Guardiola can replace Sergio Aguero with is the Gabon international who is running riot in Germany. Fast growing to be one of the most prolific goal scorers in Europe, Aubameyang has been a target for Pep Guardiola from the start of the season and there is now a  reason why he will not go back for the striker at the end of the season. The Dortmund man recently revealed that he happy in Germany but declined to rule out a move to the Premier League anytime soon, leaving City with a feeble chance of signing him up in the summer.