With just a few days left in the summer transfer window, whether Manchester City make any late moves will be interesting to see.
Even though City have just signed Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan so far, their transfer window looks like it has fared well.
Pep Guardiola’s side have chosen not to go big in the transfer window and yet, they have signed one of the best young wingers in Europe and a club legend who remains a top midfielder has returned to the Etihad Stadium.
Sitting top of the Premier League table two games in already, the Sky Blues look like the team to beat.
But Rio Ferdinand has predicted Arsenal to win the league, with Julian Alvarez’s sale playing a huge role in his call.
Guardiola named the players who could replace Erling Haaland in case he is unavailable; Phil Foden, James McAtee and Gundogan.
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However, unless one of Kevin De Bruyne or Foden is in and amongst the goals, there is a possibility that Alvarez’s presence is missed by Manchester City this season.
The Atletico Madrid striker scored 19 and 17 goals respectively in his two seasons at the Etihad Stadium and the Sky Blues were fortunate to have a backup number nine of his ilk.
As a result, it will be interesting to see if City make a late surge for one of their reported striker targets in the transfer window.
The two names in question are Kyogo Furuhashi and Orri Oskarsson.
Last Wednesday, it was claimed that Manchester City were interested in Furuhashi and the Celtic goalscorer was also keen on a move to the Premier League winners.
The report stated that City also had a young striker in mind alongside the 29-year-old — who seems to be the 19-year-old Oskarsson, who journalist David Ornstein claimed the club are interested in signing.
The Copenhagen frontman is also believed to be targeted by teams in the Premier League, Real Sociedad and Porto.
On X, Sam Lee replied to a question about whether Furuhashi will sign for Manchester City this summer, writing: “Doesn’t sound like either [both Furuhashi and Oskarsson] will happen at this point.”
Regarding Oskarsson, even David Ornstein claimed in his report for The Athletic that while the youngster is high on City’s list as one of their targets to replace Alvarez, they are unlikely to pursue his signature this summer.
The Iceland international is expected to cost €20 million (£16.9 million) plus add-ons and looks set to leave Copenhagen this summer.
Pep Guardiola and the decision-makers at Manchester City are believed to be happy with the make-up of their squad and will only make any move if they feel the opportunity at hand suits them.
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Man City do not necessarily need either Kyogo Furuhashi or Orri Oskarsson
As Guardiola stated, the likes of Foden, Gundogan and McAtee can play as false nines in case Haaland is unavailable.
Foden, in particular spent the entirety of the 2021/2022 season as one while Gundogan can always be tasked to play further forward and score goals in a system revolving around a false nine — such as in the 2020/2021 campaign where he scored 13 league goals.
As for McAtee, while he may lack the required experience in the role, his technical excellence, intelligence and versatility makes him a perfect fit for such a position.
With the options at Pep Guardiola’s disposal, he would perhaps not have any major causes for concern.
As a result, the English giants should feel no need to make any panic buys in the transfer market.
If the club would have felt Furuhashi and Oskarsson were worth signing this summer, it seems like they would have made either move.
