Manchester City pinpoint £100 million Premier League midfielder for summer transfer swoop | OneFootball

Etihad Stadium transfer bosses could once again return to the market for Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes as part of Manchester City’s summer rebuild, it is reported.

The latest information comes just weeks after the closure of the January transfer market in which Manchester City began their work towards a complete overhaul and rebuild of Pep Guardiola’s playing squad.

With around £175 million invested on the first-team playing squad, City welcomed two new defensive names in Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, a new central midfielder to support Rodri when fit in Nico Gonzalez, as well as Omar Marmoush to bolster the forward line.

But as ageing legs continue to hamper performances across competitions with City now out of the UEFA Champions League and at risk of missing out on a European place for next season, further invested is being targeted for the summer months.

And as part of that continued investment, it is widely believed that Manchester City officials will want to strengthen their midfield even further, with concerns over the ageing profiles of the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, Kevin De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva.

According to the information of GIVEMESPORT, City have identified Bruno Guimaraes as a ‘major target’ ahead of the summer, but believe they are ‘in danger of facing an uphill battle’ when it comes to securing a deal for the Brazilian midfielder.

From the side of his current employers Newcastle United, the Magpies are said to be ‘desperate’ to hold onto their captain, who still has over three years remaining on his contract, and are unlikely to entertain offers which fall short of a previous release clause valuation.

The report claims that Manchester City would have to pay £100 million to land Guimaraes, although have previously turned their head at the idea of shelling out a nine-figure sum for the player, and would need his commitment over taking on a new challenge in the North-West.

Guimaraes was believed to be a primary target for Txiki Begiristain and his colleagues during the last summer transfer window, but turned away from the idea of spending £100 million on the central midfield role.

Ultimately, City would be slightly fortunate towards the end of a relatively quiet market as they came across the availability of Ilkay Gundogan to return to the club on a free transfer from FC Barcelona, amid the Catalan side’s financial difficulties.

That deal has failed to work out in the way Pep Guardiola and his staff may have originally intended, with injury problems forcing the veteran German midfielder to play almost all of Manchester City’s contests so far this season.

As a result of the high number of appearances, Gundogan is likely to automatically trigger a one-year extension in his contract taking him through to the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign. Although, it remains to be seen whether the player would accept an exit if desired.