With stalwart Fernandinho not getting any younger, Man City boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly pushing to sign a long-term replacement for the Brazilian ace.
The City midfield star turns 34 next year and is coming off the back of a campaign in which he made 48 appearances in all competitions while he’s been an ever-present so far this year too with 11 outings while having played almost every minute in the Premier League thus far.
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While he undoubtedly still has a pivotal role to play for Guardiola, it’s fair to say that he can’t continue to carry such a heavy workload moving forward as he continues to edge closer to the latter stages of his career.
With that in mind, it appear as though Man City are making plans to bolster their midfield with the long-term future in mind as The Sun report that Guardiola wants to press ahead with their plans to snap up £80m-rated Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong in January, although he could return to Ajax to see out the season first.
The 21-year-old has made quite the impression so early in his career having made 50 appearances for Ajax at senior level across the last three seasons as he continues to develop into a more prominent figure for the Dutch giants.
Further, he’s got three caps at senior level for the Netherlands, and based on his promise thus far, he looks capable of being a key figure for both club and country in the years ahead.
He’s arguably a perfect fit for Guardiola in that role or similar too with his technical quality, confidence in possession and ability to offer defensive protection in mind, and so it remains to be seen if he is indeed targeted with the intention of being a long-term solution in midfield to provide quality and depth.