Manchester City identify AC Milan midfielder as ‘serious summer target’ – Player valued at over £55 million | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City have identified one of the game’s standout central midfielders as a transfer target for the upcoming summer window.

The likes of Hugo Viana and Txiki Begiristain are currently in the process of plotting the club’s next market activities as they build plans for Pep Guardiola’s next generation of Manchester City squad off the back of a disappointing season.

The intention will no doubt be to get the club back competing at the very highest level of European football, and with that will require a continued investment from the spend seen in the January window.

Among the positions most likely to be attended to by club officials range from the goalkeeper ranks, full-back, and perhaps most importantly, central midfield given the confirmed and pending exit of Kevin De Bruyne at the end of his contract this summer.

While the creative ranks to replace De Bruyne’s output will be a priority for many onlookers, adding versatility and legs into the middle of the park takes up as much importance and Manchester City have now taken that search over to the Italian game.

That is according to the information of The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, who reveals that Manchester City have made AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders a ‘serious summer target’ – a player seen within the Etihad Stadium as someone who would bolster central areas for the club.

From the side of the Serie A club, the report details that Milan are braced for an offer for Reijnders when the summer transfer window opens, and are said to value the Netherlands international ‘much higher’ than the £55 million Newcastle United paid for Sandro Tonali.

There is also said to be an expectation that the 26-year-old would break the San Siro club’s existing record departure of Kaka to Real Madrid for £57 million.

Away from Kevin De Bruyne in central midfield for City, there remains widespread uncertainty over a number of existing players in Pep Guardiola’s ranks including Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic, and Ilkay Gundogan.

The former has long been tied with interest from abroad after he has held a leniency towards exiting the Etihad Stadium in search of warmer climates, although the finances of a proposed move have largely restricted the idea from becoming reality.

New claims have pointed towards interest from Turkey, while in the case of Gundogan, the German midfielder has recently seen a 12-month extension clause in his City contract triggered and the veteran star has admitted his delight at remaining at the Etihad.