Pep Guardiola lines up shock £22m Man City bid, £140k-a-week contract for PL stalwart

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Man City boss Pep Guardiola is hoping to land the signature of West Bromwich Albion defender Jonny Evans, with a £22m bid being touted.

The Premier League giants have splashed out a lot of money on defensive reinforcements this summer, with Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker and Ederson amongst others arriving to bolster the backline.

However, it appears as though Guardiola isn’t done, as according to The Mirror, he’s ready to launch an improved £22m bid for Evans, after an initial £18m offer was rejected for the Northern Ireland international.

At first glance, it’s a real shock link between City and the former Man Utd defender, but ultimately it’s explained that Guardiola is keen to land his signature in order to add a home-grown or ‘locally trained’ player to his squad in order for the club to comply with Premier League and UEFA rules on the make-up of a 25-man squad.

Part of the strategy is to first offload expensive £42m flop Eliaquim Mangala, as noted by the Mirror, and then Evans may well find himself at the Etihad if he accepts the offer on the table.

It’s going to be a difficult decision for the experienced defender though, as he’ll have to weigh up the pros and cons of joining City. It’s claimed that he’ll double his current £75,000-a-week wages, while he’ll of course play under one of Europe’s most reputable coaches and challenge for trophies.

In contrast, he’s unlikely to be in the preferred starting line-up, he’ll have to consider his previous United ties and would be giving up a prominent role at the Hawthorns where he would be playing every week.

As a result, with West Brom also keen to keep hold of Evans, it remains to be seen whether or not Guardiola gets his man in the next fortnight.

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