Manchester City are reportedly ready to beat their Premier League rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal to the transfer of £90million-rated Monaco star Thomas Lemar.
The France international has been a key performer for Monaco in recent times, particularly last season as he hit double figures for both goals and assists in all competitions to help the club win the Ligue 1 title and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
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According to the Telegraph, City are the latest club to look into signing Lemar, who has also been pursued by Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.
The report states that Pep Guardiola’s side are keen on the talented 22-year-old after missing out on other attackers such as Alexis Sanchez and Riyad Mahrez.
Lemar could be a great fit in this City side if he regains his 2016/17 form, with the player not looking quite as effective or consistent for Monaco in 2017/18 so far.
Guardiola demands high standards from all his players, and Lemar would have a hard time keeping his place if his form were to dip given that he’d be up against the likes of David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling in that area of the pitch at the Etihad Stadium.
Quite why City need him at all could certainly be a valid question, but it’s clear Guardiola is determined to build a squad packed full of world class talent at City in order to continue the club’s quest for dominance at domestic and European level.