Man City will reportedly make an £80m bid to Sporting Lisbon to try and prise pair William Carvalho and Gelson Martins to the Etihad.
Having been left trophy-less this season and instead battling for a top-four Premier League finish, Pep Guardiola will be all too aware of the fact that he still has work to do on this City squad.
In turn, it’s widely expected that he’ll be active this summer, with a number of ageing stalwarts on expiring contracts having to be replaced as well as additional quality and depth being added to compete on various fronts next season.
According to The Sun, two players that could be Manchester bound this summer are Carvalho and Martins, although there is seemingly a sticking point on the combined fee that will see Sporting accept the offer.
The Portuguese giants are said to be holding out for £80m for the duo, although City are only prepared to offer £63m at this stage as ultimately it’s still a large chunk of the summer transfer kitty on these two players alone.
The Sun have even handily broken down the individual price-tags with defensive midfielder Carvalho worth £43m, while winger Martins would fetch £35m. Both players are attracting interest from elsewhere in the Premier League too, and so Guardiola will have to be wary of the possibility of missing out.
It’s still arguably a slight surprise that it’s these two individuals that he may be looking at signing as some would argue that he should be looking at more ambitious targets, especially considering the figures being touted.
Nevertheless, the Spanish tactician will be looking for players that fit his style of play and system, as that hasn’t always been the case this season which in turn has led to a disappointing level of inconsistency.