armed with significant funds to help the club
challenge for the title again as Financial Fair Play
restrictions are lifted
After a season in which they surrendered the
Premier League title to Chelsea with three games
to spare, Manchester City are facing a summer of
sweeping changes as they attempt to assemble a
squad which can overhaul Jose Mourinho's side.
Last summer's recruitment drive proved ultimately
underwhelming. Eliaquim Mangala and Fernando
signed for a combined total in excess of €54
million, while Frank Lampard and Bacary Sagna
moved to Manchester as free transfers, and both
Willy Caballero and Bruno Zuculini were also
brought in.
None were able to hold down a place in Manuel
Pellegrini's first team, and the €34m January
signing of Wilfried Bony did little to ease the
pressure on Sergio Aguero, who struggled with
injury over the winter period but still finished the
season as the Premier League's Golden Boot
winner.
But, having now complied with the Financial Fair
Play restrictions put upon them by Uefa, the
shackles are off. City are able to spend big again
to rejuvenate a squad which fell short both
domestically and in Europe over the last campaign.
TRANSFER TARGETS
*2014-15 league stats
City have identified their three primary transfer
targets, but there is still plenty to be done to bring
the players to the club.
City have made their intentions known to Liverpool
with regards to Raheem Sterling . The England
international looks increasingly likely to leave
Anfield this summer, with his agent Aidy Ward
insisting he will not be signing a new contract.
As a result, City are thought to be the frontrunners
to sign Sterling, who appeals to the club as a
home grown player who can operate on the right-
hand-side, but with the forward's contract expiring
in 2016, Pellegrini's side are reluctant to spend in
excess of €54m on the 20-year-old.
The club also have the funds to compete for the
signing of Paul Pogba and could spend as much
as €95m to land the Juventus midfielder, but the
France international's future remains up in the air.
Real Madrid have distanced themselves from the
signing of Pogba and while Barcelona have publicly
declared their interest in the midfielder, their Fifa-
imposed transfer ban means the 22-year-old could
not move to Camp Nou until 2016.
Whether Pogba could be convinced to return to
Manchester, having played for rivals United as a
youngster before moving to Juventus, remains to
be seen.
Former Chelsea man Kevin De Bruyne remains a
target for City, who are still confident they can sign
the Belgian despite talk of a contract extension at
Wolfsburg.
City also admirers of a number of British players.
Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley are among the
England internationals attracting interest from the
club.
Southampton youngster James Ward-Prowse and
James McCarthy , whose future at Everton remains
uncertain, have also caught the eye at City but, like
Wilshere and Barkley, they are not thought to be
primary targets this summer.
PLAYERS WHO COULD LEAVE
The transfer window doesn't officially open until
July 1 but a number of players have already left
City this summer.
Liverpool have announced the signing of James
Milner , who leaves Manchester after five years
with the club and moves to Anfield on a free
transfer, subject to a medical.
And Frank Lampard will finally join the City
Group's MLS franchise New York City FC on July 1,
following his controversial stay at the Etihad, while
Dedryck Boyata - who also qualified as a home
grown player - has signed a four-year contract
with Celtic.
A number of high profile players could also leave
the club this summer, but Yaya Toure now appears
to be unlikely to be one of them.
The 32-year-old was expected to reunite with
Roberto Mancini at Inter, but now insists he is
going to stay at the club, with the prospect of
mentoring a talent like Pogba as a senior figure
within the playing staff appealing to the Ivorian.
But the club are ready to listen to offers for Edin
Dzeko , Samir Nasri and Stevan Jovetic - all of
whom could be used as makeweights in any deals
to sign players this summer - while Aleksandar
Kolarov could also be on the way out.
Goal understands Liverpool are interested in
Jovetic , and with City set to move for Sterling, the
Montenegrin could follow Milner to Anfield.
The future of 20-year-old Karim Rekik is also
uncertain. The defender has spent two seasons on
loan at PSV and could be loaned to another club
this season, though the Dutch side could strike a
permanent deal for the Netherlands international at
around €4.7m.
Another young defender, Jason Denayer, is set to
spend next season back at City, having impressed
during a loan spell at Celtic which earned him his
first cap for Belgium against France on June 7.
THE MANAGER
When rumours surfaced in May that Pep Guardiola
could leave Bayern Munich this summer, Manuel
Pellegrini's stay at the Etihad appeared to be
coming to an end.
Guardiola was quick to deny reports, however, and
stressed he will still be in charge of Bayern next
season.
With the former Barcelona boss's contract in
Munich expiring in the summer of 2016 - at the
same time Pellegrini's deal with City runs out - all
roads eventually point to Manchester.
But, unmoved by the emergence of Jurgen Klopp
as an unattached, big-name coach - the former
Borussia Dortmund boss will now take a break
from management - Pellegrini has been afforded a
stay of execution and will be expected to oversee a
much stronger title challenge this season.
HOW THEY COULD LINE UP
After the title race was over, City enjoyed some
success playing with a more fluid 4-2-3-1
formation at the back-end of last season - a
departure from the rigid 4-4-2 which saw Pellegrini
face criticism.
A similar shape would lend itself to City's transfer
targets, who would inject some pace and
dynamism into their play in the final third, which
was sorely lacking at times during the last
campaign.
Should City land their three primary targets in
Sterling, Pogba and De Bruyne, they will be well
stocked with quality in every position. Toure and
Fernando would be vying for a place in the
midfield, while Martin Demichelis and Sagna are
options in defence and Bony would provide cover
for the prolific Aguero.
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