With the transfer window in the Premier League about to close on the 1st of September, fans are wondering how will Manchester City’s starting XI look like with playmaker-in-chief Kevin De Bruyne out with a nasty injury. The Belgian magician is out for the Citizens until late December.
As good as Phil Foden and Jack Grealish are, they can’t endure the packed schedule in front of Manchester City during the 2023/24 season. The Citizens are eager to defend their 2022/23 Premier League title as well as win a second Champions League trophy on the spin.
After the record-breaking Josko Gvardiol transfer to Etihad Stadium, there was doubt whether or not Manchester City’s treasury is empty or not. During this transfer window alone, Citizens spent a staggering €119m on Josko Gvardiol and Chelsea’s Kovacic. However, it seems that coach Pep Guardiola is on the hunt for a new creative engine to pull the strings up front. There are plenty of names that are linked with a possible move to Etihad but one stands out in particular.
Of course, we are talking about none other than Red Bull Leipzig’s Dani Olmo. In this article, we analyze the reasons why Citizens should strengthen their squad with the 25-year-old Spaniard.
Manchester City keen on reuniting Olmo and Gvardiol
Josko Gvardiol and Dani Olmo were the key players for the Bulls during the 2022/23 campaign. Red Bull Leipzig looked like an unbeatable side with the two among the starters, and this caught the eye of experienced fox Guardiola.
He already bought Gvardiol on a world record-breaking €90m deal, and now we just have to wait and see just how much the Citizens are ready to prepare for Dani Olmo’s services.
The latter was one of Red Bull Leipzig’s top players in the DFL-Supercup game against Bayern Munich. Olmo’s performance put a damper on Harry Kane’s debut with the Bavarian giants, as the Spaniard scored a sensational hattrick at Allianz Arena to deprive Bayern of a much-wanted title.
According to recent rumors, Dani Olmo has a £51m release clause on his Red Bulls Leipzig deal that Manchester City are contemplating paying. As much as Dani Olmo is denying these speculations, all sources lead to Etihad Stadium.
Why Manchester City should sign Dani Olmo
The key reason why Spanish manager Pep Guardiola needs Dano Olmo on his team is more obvious than a bucket on the head. Team captain Kevin De Bruyne sustained a horrible muscle partial avulsion injury that will deprive Guardiola of his playmaking services until December. That’s around four months without the Citizens’ starting attacking midfielder.
Bernardo Silva who was considered De Bruyne’s second fiddle is also getting injured quite often these days, and he doesn’t seem like a viable replacement. Since the start of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, Pep Guardiola is relying on World Cup winner Julian Alvarez to be the creative link but this leaves Norwegian goalscoring genius Erling Haaland with no backup.
Furthermore, Dani Olmo’s transfer fee is an acceptable £51m. Manchester City have paid far more for players, so the Spaniard’s transfer to Etihad would definitely not break the bank.
The Citizens are in for a tiresome 2023/24 campaign. If they want to be up to par on all fronts, they need Dani Olmo on their side sooner rather than later.
