Manchester City are now targeting Stade Rennais winger Jeremy Doku to replace Riyad Mahrez, who recently left the club.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that the 21-year-old has now been added to the transfer wish-list, alongside Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, whom City are currently pursuing alongside Chelsea.
Doku scored seven times and provided four assists for Rennes in 35 games across all competitions, including the Europa League last season, and was linked with Aston Villa earlier in the window.
Romano has now revealed that Doku is high up on the list as a priority, with the Belgium international perhaps being considered as an alternative to Olise.
Would Doku be a good Mahrez replacement?
Doku has a fair amount of experience despite his age, having already made 90 appearances for Rennes, scoring 11 and assisting 10 goals in that time, and has 14 international caps to his name.
However, compared to Mahrez, he is a very raw option, and may not be ready to start regularly for City. As it stands, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva will be the main right-wing options, with Cole Palmer also capable of stepping in.
Both Olise and Doku are 21-year-old, highly technical right-wingers, and it is easy to see why the Ligue 1 star is being targeted alongside the Crystal Palace star. Doku ranks as one of the best dribbling midfielders in Europe, and completes an astonishing 6.5 take-ons per 90 minutes.
This statistic is even more incredible when compared to Olise, who completes 1.7, and Mahrez, who completes 1.3.
Doku is renowned for his speed, with Kylian Mbappe even singling him out for praise two years ago, claiming that he had “never seen someone develop so much strength from a standstill as him,” and highlighted his ferocious speed going forward.
Although a rough diamond, the potential is there for Doku to explode, and perhaps Pep Guardiola is fascinated by the potential of his speed and technical ability being harnessed in this City side.
Doku may not be a like-for-like Mahrez replacement, he can arrive as a younger, more explosive option, who could develop into a top-class attacking threat under Guardiola, and it may be worth pursuing a move this summer to add to City’s attacking firepower.
