Manchester City could end the season with a treble of major titles, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t already planning for the future.
City were crowned Premier League champions for a third year in a row over the weekend, and celebrated the achievement with a 1-0 win against Chelsea on Sunday.
However, few saw City wrapping the title up with three games to spare given the position they were in back in January.
In the weeks following the World Cup break City struggled to play with their usual fluidity, with striker Erling Haaland looking increasingly disconnected from the rest of the team.
At one point Pep Guardiola’s side were eight points behind league leaders Arsenal, but Haaland’s goals played a significant role in City overtaking their rivals.
The 22-year-old has scored 36 goals in 34 league outings this season, smashing the all-time Premier League record for goals in a single campaign.
Planning for the future
Haaland has shown the importance of having a clinical striker, so much so that City appear to be plotting a move for their future goal machine.
According to Mail Online’s Simon Jones, City have opened talks with teenage striker Luca Fletcher.
The 16-year-old forward has been in remarkable form this season, scoring over 20 goals for Reading’s youth sides and England U16s.
Several Premier League sides are keen on the youngster, but City are looking to complete a £1m deal as soon as possible.
Fletcher – who is represented by Jay-Z’s agency RocNation – had a spell training with West Ham earlier this year and received solid interest from Brighton.
Should City sign Fletcher, they could be well set to dominate the Premier League in years to come.
Fellow striker Julian Alvarez produced a fine finish to nudge his side past Chelsea on Sunday, the 22-year-old World Cup winner getting the nod over Haaland.
The Argentine has had to live in Haaland’s shadow this season, which makes his goals return of 17 in his first season in Europe even more impressive.
As well as chasing Fletcher, City look set to tie down 18-year-old academy graduate Rico Lewis to a new long-term contract.
Perhaps one of City’s biggest strengths is that no matter how sucessful Guardiola’s players are on the pitch, the club is always planning for the future.
