Manchester City’s January transfer spend could hit £250 million mark with more arrivals anticipated | OneFootball

A staggering £250 million outlay on new arrivals could be seen by Manchester City this month, according to new reports on the market and Etihad Stadium situation.

The Premier League champions have already confirmed their first arrival this month after unveiling 20-year-old Uzbek international Abdukodir Khusanov to supporters across their media channels on Monday evening.

Brazilian defender Vitor Reis is expected to be the next through the Etihad Stadium doors this week in a £29.5 million switch from Palmeiras, while Omar Marmoush is in Manchester for a medical ahead of a big-money move from Eintracht Frankfurt.

However, there is a belief in various quarters that the business may not stop there from the part of Txiki Begiristain and his transfer colleagues, with a defensive midfielder mentioned as a possible target yet.

And that has been reiterated in a new report exploring Manchester City’s ongoing January market, with a staggering spend that could well exceed the £200 million mark still possible in the 12 days that remain in this month’s market.

That is according to the information of The Mirror’s Simon Mullock, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is the ‘driving force’ behind a £250 million transfer window spend that could bring as many as six new players to the club this month.

It is further highlighted that City’s original plan to wait for an official appointment of Hugo Viana in the summer as the club’s Director of Football has been scrapped, with the Portuguese official working alongside Txiki Begiristain to close out deals this month.

As for the stance taken by Guardiola himself, the report points out that the 54-year-old also wants a new defensive midfielder to be added to his City squad this month, despite UEFA rules stating only three new arrivals can be registered for the Champions League.

Among the names that could still be explored by Manchester City this month are Juventus’ defensive midfield talent, Douglas Luiz – who was on the books at the Etihad Stadium until he departed the club in 2019 for Aston Villa.

Pep Guardiola was highly-spoken of the midfielder on various occasions during all parties’ association with one another, however issues with a work permit ultimately prevented the two from working directly at the Etihad Stadium in competitive action.

Luiz’s teammate at the Allianz Stadium, Andrea Cambiaso has been widely mentioned as a Manchester City target, but perhaps one for the upcoming summer window given the transfer fees that may be involved.