Manchester City plotting sensational swoop for Bayern Munich star – Manchester United and Juventus among admirers | OneFootball

Manchester City are in the race to sign Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović, as per reports from Germany.

City are undergoing a period transition on the pitch and behind the scenes at the Etihad Stadium after a major rejig of the Pep Guardiola’s squad in the recent summer transfer window, with the Catalan also shuffling his managerial staff.

Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, James McAtee and Scott Carson all left Manchester City in the summer, with the likes of Jack Grealish (Everton) and Manuel Akanji (Inter Milan) among the senior stars leaving on loan for regular playing opportunities.

Upon his appointment as Manchester City’s director of football, Hugo Viana sanctioned the acquisitions of seven first-team signings – including the notable £26 million deadline day capture of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain.

Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki were brought in from AC Milan and Lyon for a combined £80 million to bolster Guardiola’s options in the attacking midfield areas as Manchester City embark on life without long-serving architect-in-chief De Bruyne.

Phil Foden has also looked the part since he scored against Manchester United on his first start of the season, with the 25-year-old working to return to his former self after undergoing a difficult 2024-25 campaign marred by mental and physical issues.

Manchester City have also been sweating on the fitness of Ballon d’Or winning midfielder Rodri since his return to action in May after recovering from an ACL injury sustained in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal last year.

The 29-year-old has been hit and miss since suffering an injury setback at the FIFA Club World Cup in June, with Nico Gonzalez proving to be a reliable stand-in for the former Atletico Madrid in the defensive midfield position for Manchester City.

According to journalists Christian Falk and Tobias Altschäffl, whose comments have been covered by SportBILD and relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City are in the race to sign Bayern Munich and German midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović.

Pavlović, 21, has also attracted interest from Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, with clubs across Europe on the lookout for long-term solutions to their number six areas, though the young German is under contract at the Allianz Arena till 2029.

“There’s not much movement at Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain yet,” Altschäffl said. “That’s absolutely true with the English side(s). It’s known that they approached Pavlović’s side through intermediaries. They would like to sign Pavlović. At (Manchester) City, he’s even higher on the list.

“I’ve noticed recently that he (Pavlović) is getting better and better physically – and he has a commanding touch in his game. His services would be in high demand in England. A move is currently out of the question for him, but he’s a hot prospect for the Premier League in the future.”

Manchester City added Nico Gonzalez to their ranks in January and with Mateo Kovacic also expected to make his long-awaited return to action after the international break, it doesn’t look like the Blues need to add greater depth to their defensive midfield options as of yet.