Manchester City reportedly submit a €120m (£100.5m) bid for one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Europe as they seek to fill the void left behind by injured star Rodri.
Manchester City are reportedly ‘going all out’ to sign one of the most highly-rated players in Europe to address their concerns in midfield.
The Citizens entered November’s international break on the back of suffering four successive defeats in all competitions for the first time under manager Pep Guardiola, who sees his team sitting five points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Guardiola has been working with a depleted squad amidst City’s growing injury crisis and the club have subsequently been tipped to delve into the January transfer market to recruit reinforcements.
Arguably the biggest absentee for the Citizens is star midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who is ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury that he sustained in September.
A host of midfielders including Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi and AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders have been linked with a move to Man City, and now a new name from France is said to have been identified as a top target by the reigning Premier League champions.
Man City ‘set their sights’ on Zaire-Emery
According to Fichajes, Man City have set their sights on signing Paris Saint-Germain star Warren Zaire-Emery and have submitted a whopping €120m (£100.5m) bid for the 18-year-old.
The report adds that the Citizens are leading the race for Zaire-Emery’s signature, ahead of other top European clubs keeping tabs on his situation, and Guardiola see him as an ‘ideal piece’ to strengthen his midfield.
It has been suggested that Zaire-Emery has been identified as a player who could help City fill the void left behind by Rodri, even though he is not a like-for-like midfield replacement for the deep-lying Spaniard.
Nevertheless, Zaire-Emery is said to have the perfect profile to adapt to Guardiola’s philosophy and City’s huge offer for his services reflects the club’s ambition to continue dominating both domestically and in Europe.
Should Zaire-Emery join Man City for £100.5m, he would become the club’s record signing, surpassing the £100m spent on Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021.
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Rising star Zaire-Emery a key player for PSG
Zaire-Emery joined PSG’s academy at the age of eight and worked his way through the club’s youth ranks before making his senior debut in August 2022.
The versatile teenage midfielder has since developed into a first-team regular for the French giants, and at the age of 18 has already made 88 senior appearances in all competitions, including 43 outings last season – only Kylian Mbappe (48) and Vitinha (46) made more appearances for PSG in 2023-24.
Zaire-Emery, who was named 2023-24 Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year, has since played 14 times across Ligue 1 and the Champions League so far this season, chipping in with two goals and one assist, and he remains an important player under head coach Luis Enrique.
The two-time Ligue 1 champion has also been capped six times by France and is under contract at the Parc des Princes until the summer of 2029.
