23 May 2023 , 19:30
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Manchester City have enquired about the availability of Marco Veratti with PSG open to selling the midfielder, as per reports.
The Premier League outfit have just claimed a third straight title and want to maintain their strangle hold on England's top flight by further bolstering their squad. Pep Guardiola has continued to add quality year on year and now has his eye on the Italian.
Verratti has been at the Paris club for over a decade but has faced heavy criticism this term and the Ligue 1 leaders may consider refreshing their midfield options. Le Parisien understands that City have made contact over possibly bringing the 30-year-old to the Etihad.
Guardiola is waiting to see whether one of his leading stars - captain Ilkay Gundogan - will stay put or move on this summer, which would leave him needing a replacement. The German midfielder would leave a massive hole in City's side given his influence on the team.
City have drawn up a three-man shortlist of potential candidates should they need to bring in new recruits in midfield. Brighton's Alex Mac Allister is another who is being monitored after his recent performances at the World Cup with winners Argentina, as well as his form for high-flying Brighton.
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Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich, a player whom Guardiola worked with during his time in Germany, is the other player who is on City's radar this summer.
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Marco Verratti could leave PSG this summerGundogan has had a contract offer put to him by the champions which includes an initial 12 months with the option of a further year. Arsenal are among those linked with Gundogan's signature should he not remainn at City, as the Gunners look to bolster their own options in that area.
Mikel Arteta raided his old club to sign Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer but his side were still pipped by City in the title race. The Gunners boss has largely stuck with the same duo in the middle of the park - Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey, though Gundogan would be a significant upgrade.
Xhaka is expected to seek pastures new this summer with Bayer Leverkusen touted as his next destination, while Partey is also being linked with a potential transfer. Arteta's lack of depth in his squad was cited as an issue throughout the season and it eventually came back to bite the North Londoners, who will also return to the Champions League next term.
As a result, they want to add more quality to their squad this summer with big signings in mind. Declan Rice is a prime target with the West Ham star expected to move on at the end of the season.