PEP GUARDIOLA is set to hit January sales figures for the first time in SEVEN years in a bid to halt Manchester City's alarming slump.
Guardiola will be given a war chest after the champions made more than £250m from player trading in the last two years.
Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes and fellow midfielder Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad are on City's radar following Ballon d'Or winner Rodri's season-ending ACL injury.
The champions have lost seven of their last 10 games as injuries have battered them during a nightmare six-week spell.
So they will scour the market when the window opens next month in an attempt to salvage their faltering season.
City are aware that it is difficult to sign top players in the winter and have not made any major moves since signing centre-back Aymeric Laporte in 2018.
And the board will back Guardiola if the right man is available at a good price.
Bruno is believed to be keen on a move to City, but it will be difficult to convince Toon to part ways with one of their key figures in the middle of the season.
He was valued by his club at £100 million in the summer – which was deemed unrealistic by City – but his form this season does not justify that figure.
Zubimendi was a target for Liverpool earlier this year and opted to stay in Spain, but is now more open to offers.
Etihad's hierarchy have always tried to plan their windows in advance, but the long injury list leaves the squad creaking with many games still to come.
Meanwhile, City's subpar Champions League form has already cost them almost €6 million.
And if they fail to reach the last 16 in the new year, they could be left with a further £9million in their pockets.
Under the new competition format, teams will receive £1.7 million for a win and around £600,000 for a draw.
Rivals Liverpool are leading the way and have collected the maximum amount from their six league matches so far.
Meanwhile, City have only won two: against Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague.
They drew against Inter Milan and Feyenoord and lost to both Sporting Lisbon and Juventus, putting their participation in the final rounds at stake.
Under Guardiola, City have traditionally made easy use of the group stages – and won all six last year.
This time they are 22nd in the table and will need points in their final two matches next month to avoid an embarrassing early elimination.
Comments