Tuesday 22 January 2019 14:28, UK
Will Manchester City strengthen in the January transfer window? We look at potential ins and outs and consider what key position needs filling.
The Premier League champions are still involved in four competitions. They are looking to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the league table in the coming months as well as battling for Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League glory.
Here, we look at who has been linked with a move to the Etihad, while Soccer Saturday pundit Matt Le Tissier picks out two players they should be targeting.
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Although City have incredible strength and depth in their squad, there are a few areas that should be targeted for improvement, with a few ageing players becoming a concern for Pep Guardiola's plans.
Perhaps the most pressing is bringing in quality cover for Fernandinho in midfield. He missed two Premier League games over the Christmas period with a thigh injury and City lost both against Leicester and Crystal Palace. The losses could arguably see them trail Liverpool for the remainder of the season and miss out on back-to-back league titles.
Fernandinho is not getting any younger either - turning 33 in May - and Guardiola is well aware that he needs to find a player to match the talented midfielder, saying last week: "There are three or four we are looking for. We are searching for that position. We took a look."
The manager was reportedly interested in Fred and Jorginho in the summer - the pair ended up at Manchester United and Chelsea respectively - and the issue will remain at large until a suitable replacement is found either in this window or the next.
According to the London Evening Standard, Man City have spent the last six months compiling a dossier of potential midfield targets, with Wolves' Ruben Neves said to be among them, but Guardiola has already stated he is not willing to pay over the odds for reinforcements.
He said: "There are many holding midfielders in the world. Most of them can play here. There are [players] but most of them are under contract. A month ago I read about Ruben Neves - £100m! That is not going to happen. We are not going to pay £100m for a holding midfielder."
As usual, Guardiola is also planning for the future and Sky Sports News understands City are close to agreeing a deal with Hajduk Split to sign midfielder Ante Palaversa for a fee in the region of £7m.
The 18-year-old holding midfielder is believed to be a signing for the future rather than immediate competition for Fernandinho.
One player has already moved away this month, with Brahim Diaz joining Real Madrid for a deal worth a reported £15.5m, which could rise to £22m with add-ons.
Phil Foden has also been touted as a potential outgoing on loan, but he recently confirmed he has no plans to leave.
"Everyone is different, and I see myself playing here... It is difficult to get in, but we all try our best. I just need to keep pushing, do my best in the games and take opportunities when they come," he said.
"We've got the best set of players and the best staff so I'm in the right position. I'm learning off them every day, so I couldn't be in a better place. It's brilliant to play alongside players like Kevin De Bruyne. You just learn from the best."
Manchester City are certainly spoilt in the midfield. I am being incredibly picky but perhaps a left-back; they are lacking strength in depth in that position.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been suspect - he gave the ball away cheaply at St Mary's which got Southampton back in the game. They have world-class players in most positions but that is the position that you might say isn't world class. The squad that Man City have, they want two quality players in each position but they don't have it there.
In this window, unlikely - and that's coming from the horse's mouth - with Guardiola saying the sort of players he would like to sign are not usually available during the January transfer window.
The manager commented: "Sometimes we have done [made January signings]. But normally, we buy one player, it's for the next five, six years - and normally these kind of situations in this transfer window don't happen... If you don't have injuries, if you are satisfied with the players, the squad you have, you go with them."
But make no mistake, Guardiola and his team will be scouting, listing and deciding on who to target in the summer as they continue their search for the next Fernandinho.
