PEP GUARDIOLA may have just signed Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund for £21million, but the midfielder is just the first of what looks set to be a major summer rebuild at Manchester City.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the new City boss wants to bring in six more players before the end of the transfer window.
The paper reports that Guardiola is interested in another midfielder, a centre-back, a right-back, a left-back, and a striker.
Germany international Gundogan has already been added to the midfield, which should improve the Citizens drastically, but the addition of Toni Kroos and Paul Pogba would make City sensational.
The same source suggests Guardiola is prepared to give injury-prone skipper Vincent Kompany an opportunity to prove he can finally shrug off his persistent calf problems.
However, he’s keen to secure either Everton’s John Stones or Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao, with The Independent claiming City are ready to pay the La Liga outfit the £39m release clause for the latter.
The French international would not be available to play until August as he recovers from a broken leg and dislocated ankle but, with current City full-backs Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov all in their 30s, 22-year-old Laporte is seen as an ideal long-term option.
Despite his relatively young age, Laporte is not short on experience, having made more than 120 league appearances for Bilbao since joining them as a 16-year-old.
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