Manchester City are ready to tear up their own blueprint for success by splashing the cash next month.
City prefer to do their transfer activities in the summer, but seven defeats in ten games mean that the Championship season is already on the brink of collapse, in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
Now Pep Guardiola has been given the green light to spend big in the new year after raising more than £250million from player sales in the past two years. City's priority is to sign a dominant defensive midfielder to fill the void left by Rodri's season-ending knee injury.
The Blues are tracking Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi and Atalanta's Ederson – and neither player will come cheap. But Guardiola is also targeting a striker to ease the strain on Erling Haaland after failing to replace Julian Alvarez when the Argentine joined Atletico Madrid for £82million this summer.
Kyle Walker's drastic loss of form could see City looking for a new right-back. City's last big money win in the winter market was Aymeric Laporte, who joined from Athletic Bilbao for £57m in January 2018.
Argentine teenager Claudio Echeverri will strengthen Guardiola's squad when he takes over on New Year's Day, having spent the past 12 months on loan at River Plate after agreeing a £13million transfer last year.
City face a battle to revive their title bid and claim a place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Guardiola's men face local rivals United in Sunday's Manchester derby. City's miserable European campaign has already cost the pre-tournament favorites almost £6million in prize money.
City won only two of the six first Champions League games and also drew twice and suffered two defeats. Clubs will save £1.73 million for every group stage win and £580,000 for every draw.
That means City have claimed just £5.76m of the £10.76m on offer. Liverpool, on the other hand, have earned the full amount after winning their first six games and will add another £3.46 million to their kitty if they maintain their 100 percent record in their last two games.
City appear to be heading for a play-off in their bid to reach the last sixteen. They are currently in 22nd place with a trip to Paris St Germain and a home game against Club Brugge looming. The 16 teams going into the play-offs will receive £820,000 from UEFA.
Any club that makes it to the last 16 will claim a further £9.1 million in prize money. City have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League in each of the past 11 seasons and won the European Cup for the first time in 2023. Failing to reach the last 16 would be a huge blow to both the club's prestige and its success. as well as the city's bank balance.
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