Pep Guardiola set to receive £25m windfall, PL rivals battle over misfit

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is likely to receive a boost to the transfer coffers as reports claim a four-team scrap for Kelechi Iheanacho is developing.

City have already signed Bernardo Silva and Ederson this summer as their transfer splurge has yet to real really heat up. However, Guardiola will be expected to try and balance things out too.

According to The Sun, Southampton have now joined the race to sign Ihenacho, with the £25m-rated striker already being monitored by West Ham, Everton and Leicester.

It’s added that if Ryan Bertrand is included as part of the deal with the Saints, then they could emerge as the front-runners for signing Iheanacho, but while there’s still some uncertainty surrounding that aspect of the deal, it’s clear that the 20-year-old is expendable this summer.

Iheanacho has scored 12 goals in 46 Premier League appearances for City, making an impression under Manuel Pellegrini the season before last, but he struggled to replicate that under Guardiola last year as Gabriel Jesus arrived to push him further down the pecking order.

It’s widely expected that his playing time will continue to drop this year if he was to stay in Manchester, and so a move elsewhere is seemingly the most appropriate solution for all parties.

Iheanacho will get the regular football that he craves elsewhere, City boss Guardiola will get the additional funds to reinvest in the squad, and one of Southampton, Everton, Leicester or West Ham will get a young striker determined to do well and capable of scoring goals regularly if given an opportunity.

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