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Transfers
Could Tottenham’s Kyle Walker and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez be moving to Manchester City this summer?
The report that Manchester City players are convinced Alexis Sanchez and Kyle Walker will be joining at the club this summer, with the fee for the pair believed to be £100 million. That is a huge amount, but they were both voted in the PFA Team of the Year and have proven themselves to be leading players in the Premier League. The former has only one year left on his current deal and wants to leave Arsenal to play at the highest level.
Meanwhile, Walker has fallen out with Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham due to disagreements on playing time, while the possibility of trebling his wages at the Etihad Stadium is seemingly too good to turn down. It is early days in the transfer window and these deals won’t be easy to complete, but it is clear that they are priority targets for Pep Guardiola.
What would they bring to Manchester City?
Neither would be considered a risky purchase for Manchester City, as they are already leading players in their respective positions. It would send out a statement of intent to the rest of the league after what was an underwhelming first season under Guardiola.
Sanchez is Arsenal’s best player and he was one of the frontrunners to win the PFA Player of the Year award, after contributing 24 goals and 10 assists in the league. He would add goals and depth to the City attack, as he can play in a variety of positions. His existing relationship with Guardiola would allow him to quickly adapt to the team’s style. It is difficult to see where he would start, given the club’s array of attacking options, but he would certainly be in the starting eleven.
Manchester City have had big problems at full-back this season and they need to sign two players to take on those roles. As one of the best right-backs in the league, Walker would be a great signing and his homegrown status is a further positive. His pace and power in attack would provide City with a quality player to offer support in the opposition half. The England international contributed five assists this season, which is the joint-best return for a defender. However, he would also help improve the Citizen’s defence, as displayed by his average of 3.4 ball recoveries per game. His defensive contribution has improved a lot under Pochettino and he is now considered a complete full-back.