Man City eye transfers for Liverpool target and England surprise in bid to get over slump

Manchester City's bid to rebuild their midfield has seen them turn to Martin Zubimendi and Adam Wharton, it is claimed.

Pep Guardiola's side have struggled since losing Ballon d'Or holder Rodri to a season-ending ACL injury. They are winless in their last six games in all competitions, losing five on the spin, before throwing away a three-goal lead to draw against Feyenoord on Tuesday evening.

City will face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, where a defeat would leave them eleven points behind the Premier League leaders. Their Champions League hopes have also been damaged in recent weeks, with Guardiola's men likely to face a round of 16 play-off unless they claim maximum points from Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge.

If they make it to the knockout stages in Europe, they may feel they need a good replacement for Rodri. And that could force them to delve into the transfer market on a large scale.

According to The Mail, City were initially planning to add a midfielder to their ranks next summer, but it could end up happening sooner. However, neither Zubimendi nor Wharton would come cheap.

Liverpool came close to bringing Zubimendi to Anfield this summer, but the Spain international stayed at Real Sociedad. It was he who replaced Rodri in the Euro 2024 final and helped Spain get over the line against England when teammate Mikel Oyarzabal scored a late winner.

Wharton has been at Selhurst Park for less than a year but quickly made an impression after joining from Blackburn for £18 million in January. The England international is under contract until 2029, suggesting Palace will be in no rush to sell unless a big-money bid comes in, although they would acknowledge he could move to a Champions League club in one of the next few windows could leave.

City might have stopped their losing streak against Feyenoord, but the way they collapsed late on was worrying. Guardiola's side led 3-0 in the final 15 minutes, but Anis Hadj Moussa, Santi Gimenez and David Hancko ensured an unexpected comeback for the visitors.

“As a team we have always found a way to win games,” Guardiola said after the draw. “At this moment, after 3-0, in other situations, it's like nothing happened. We couldn't score the fourth or fifth.

“Unfortunately something happened and we weren't strong enough and we have to avoid mistakes. Everyone knows the situations. We must prepare and recover. Have a day off.

“It was, is and will be a tough season for us. We have to accept it under many circumstances. The team was so involved in many things. Unfortunately something happened and we weren't strong enough and we have to try to avoid the mistakes.”