Pep Guardiola targets Premier League pair in hunt for squad depth
Premier League pair Marc Cucurella and Kalvin Phillips are reportedly on Pep Guardiola’s shopping list this summer.
Manchester City will be crowned Champions of England for the fourth time in five years on Sunday with a win over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium, but still remain desperate to strengthen their side.
Fernandinho will be leaving the club on a free transfer, following nearly a decade of service in Manchester, while Benjamin Mendy remains on trial accused of rape and is almost certain to never play football again.
The latter issue has left Joao Cancelo and Oleskandr Zinchenko to fill in at left-back this season, while Fernandinho’s age has meant that he has racked up 900 minutes in the top flight.
And, to combat the first issue, the Cityzens are thought to be keen on Brighton’s Marc Cucurella, who has excelled at Brighton and Hove Albion this campaign after joining from Getafe.
Able to play as a left centre-back, left-back or left wing-back, the Spaniard has spent time at Barcelona previously and seems to be a perfect fit, though it will likely take far more than the suggested £30m to persuade the Seagulls to part ways with their new cult hero.
Manchester City have targeted Marc Cucurella from Brighton as the possible solution to their left-back issue and are ready to pursue a £30m deal https://t.co/3GFQSOP6Jx
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) May 17, 2022
Phillips also on the radar
Meanwhile, the Etihad side are ready to challenge Manchester United for the signing of Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United this summer, who will be available on the cheap should Leeds get relegated come Sunday evening.
With a price tag between £30m and £50m depending on survival, the 26 year old Englishman would certainly be shrewd acquisition.
EXCLUSIVE 🚨 Man City target Kalvin Phillips as Erik ten Hag faces Man Utd transfer battle #MCFC #MUFC #LUFC@CrossyDailyStarhttps://t.co/kJcd3FF14B pic.twitter.com/Zx7LMaEV42
— Daily Star Sport (@DailyStar_Sport) May 18, 2022
Despite having missed much of the season with injury, there will be plenty of interest in his services.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 37 | 72 | 90 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 37 | 66 | 89 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 37 | 9 | 66 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 37 | 1 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 37 | 11 | 56 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 37 | -3 | 51 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 36 | 0 | 48 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 37 | -4 | 48 |
| 11 | Brentford FC | 37 | -7 | 46 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 37 | -19 | 46 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 4 | 45 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 36 | -1 | 44 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 37 | -21 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 36 | -20 | 36 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 37 | -38 | 35 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 36 | -18 | 34 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 37 | -42 | 23 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 37 | -56 | 22 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| James, Daniel | Leeds United | 1 | 7 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 8 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
