Midfield transfer target eyes Premier League switch in boost to Manchester City hopes | OneFootball

Manchester City have been handed a significant boost to their hopes of recruiting in the centre of midfield this month.

Txiki Begiristain and his transfer colleagues within the Etihad Stadium have been hard at work in the opening three weeks of the ongoing market, securing deals for three new players with over 10 days still remaining in the window.

Defensive duo Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis are set to be unveiled as the first new signings imminently having penned agreements to switch from RC Lens in France and Palmeiras in Brazil respectively.

Omar Marmoush of Eintracht Frankfurt is set to follow in due course in the most expensive of the three deals, after Manchester City moved swiftly to agree personal terms with the versatile forward and a €75 million package with the Bundesliga side.

But with the defensive midfield role having caused significant problems in light of Rodri’s long-term injury sustained last September, many have been wondering how Manchester City may look to address the issue this month.

Speaking to talkSPORT on Monday, journalist Alex Crook revealed an intention from the side of Douglas Luiz to return to Premier League football after a challenging start to life with Juventus in Serie A.

“He is keen to come back to the Premier League. I think his old club, Aston Villa, are monitoring the situation,” Crook detailed.

While City have previously played down the idea of a move for a player that used to be on their books prior to leaving the club in 2019, Crook explains that the stance from the Premier League champions has since changed.

“Since then, I have been told on good authority they are looking for a defensive midfielder. I think it’s that midfield area Pep Guardiola himself admitted to me after they drew at Brentford that it’s a problem for them,” it is explained.

Crook continued, “If it’s an easy deal to do, then I can see that City would be interested. Certainly I think it’s one to keep an eye on.”

A previous report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein has already highlighted that while Manchester City are exploring multiple options in the aforementioned role, Juventus’ Douglas Luiz is one profile they would look to sign on loan with no obligation to buy.

However, at present there appears to be a clear difference in positions taken up by Manchester City and the Italian side, who are said to prefer a sale or a loan deal with an obligation to buy in the upcoming summer.

Speaking during a recent press conference on Manchester City’s priority positions to address through the transfer market, Guardiola revealed, “From the beginning of the season, it was at the back and in the middle. The positions up-front we are more or less OK.”