For Manchester City, after the glory of winning the Premier League four times in a row last season, the team's state has taken a big nosedive this season. The main reason is Rodri's serious injury and the aging of the main lineup. Even a coach as strong as Pep Guardiola cannot stop the continuous decline of Manchester City. In the last 14 matches in various competitions, Manchester City only won 2 games and lost 9 of them, with all-round collapses in various records, making Manchester City fans very worried. However, with the opening of the winter transfer window, Manchester City has ushered in a great opportunity to make up for loopholes.
In the current squad of Manchester City, there are as many as 9 players aged 30 or above, including De Bruyne at the age of 33. After recovering from injuries this season, his form has declined, lacking the style of being the world's best midfielder during his peak period, leaving only frequent mistakes and struggling steps. De Bruyne's contract expires this summer, and Manchester City has not yet negotiated a renewal contract with him. Judging from Manchester City's current performance, it is highly likely that De Bruyne will leave the team this summer. It is reported that multiple teams from Saudi Arabia and the MLS are interested in introducing De Bruyne.
Since Gundogan returned to Manchester City from Barcelona, his state has been average, scoring only 2 goals and 1 assist in 24 appearances in various events. Gundogan's contract also expires this summer, and the probability of him continuing to stay at Manchester City is not high. Grealish, who joined Manchester City for over 100 million euros in the summer of 2021, has fallen into the lowest point of his career. Throughout the year 2024, Grealish has not scored a single goal for Manchester City. During Manchester City's low point, Grealish's role was not significant. Therefore, in the winter window, Grealish is one of the first batch of players that Manchester City plans to deal with, with Tottenham and Newcastle interested in introducing Grealish in the winter window.
On the defensive line, Walker's state has plummeted. In the matches he played this season, Manchester City's defense has repeatedly conceded goals due to Walker's mistakes, ultimately losing the game. Therefore, the 34-year-old Walker is no longer suitable to start for Manchester City. Walker's contract expires next summer, and it is reported that Saudi teams are interested in signing Walker, which Pep Guardiola would be happy to see happen. On the defensive line, Dias and Stones have been plagued by injuries, Pusil is not up to the task, and Akanki has been frequently injured this season, so Manchester City urgently needs to introduce a defender in the winter window. According to reports from European journalist Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City is interested in signing Lens central defender Husanov to strengthen the defense.
In the holding midfield position, Rodri's serious injury that ended his season exposed Manchester City's weakness, and Kovacic struggled to fill the void left by Rodri's absence. Therefore, the top priority for Pep Guardiola in the winter window is to find a holding midfielder. Manchester City is interested in Longstaff and Zubimendi, but recently the British Mail reported that Pep Guardiola is very interested in Atalanta holding midfielder Edson, and intends to introduce Edson in the winter window to strengthen the hardness and midfield organization of Manchester City. If Edson can join, the loophole in the holding midfield position will be plugged.
In the attacking line, Savigno only broke his goal drought until the last round since joining, Foden continues to be mediocre, and Doku's breakthroughs are already well-known to Premier League teams. Manchester City needs to find new explosive players. The Egyptian forward Marmoush from Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt has entered Manchester City's sights. This season, Marmoush has made 24 appearances for Frankfurt, scoring 18 goals and providing 11 assists. He is only 25 years old and is at the peak of his career. Marmoush's transfer fee is 60 million euros. If Manchester City can sign Marmoush, they will have the chance to bounce back in the second half of the season and return to the ranks of top clubs.