Manchester City could land their next Riyad Mahrez by securing a transfer deal for Kaoru Mitoma.
The Manchester club have a track record when it comes to signing players from fellow Premier League sides, as they did with Mahrez when they bought him from Leicester City back in 2018 in a deal worth £60m.
Now that the winger has brought an end to his time at the Etihad Stadium and joined Al-Ahli for £30m, the Citizens now have the chance to not only bring in what could be seen as their next version of Mahrez but also to continue their record of signing top-flight players.
Mitoma could be City’s next Mahrez
Earlier this month, it was reported that the treble winners are interested in signing Mitoma from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Last season saw the 26-year-old score 10 goals and deliver eight assists in 41 appearances across all competitions.
During City’s recent pre-season tour of Asia, Pep Guardiola named Mitoma as one of his favourite Asian players and said that he was “incredible” for Brighton last season.
Described as an “exciting” player by Brighton CEO Paul Barber, the Japanese international ended the previous Premier League campaign with more carries into the penalty area (85) and more goal-creating actions (15) than any other player at the club.
This shows how much of a forward-thinking and creative player he is and why he’d be a suitable replacement for Mahrez given how useful he had proved himself to be for City over the years in terms of scoring and setting up goals.
However, with the Brighton star predominantly operating on the left-hand side of the pitch, whereas Mahrez played on the right, Mitoma may have to show some sort of versatility if he ends up at the Etihad Stadium and wants to be a regular starter.
