Manchester City are working on a replacement for Riyad Mahrez.
Global media outlet ESPN reported on Thursday (April 14), “According to sources, Manchester City are working on a deal to sign Stade Rennes’ Jeremy Dokou. City are ready to make an offer, but Rennes want 45 million pounds (about 764 million won), so there is a difference of opinion.”
“City have been left with a gaping hole on the right flank after Mahrez’s departure for Saudi Arabia,” the UK’s Manchester Evening News also reported. Pep Guardiola has identified Dockoo as one of his potential successors. They would have to pay at least £45 million for the deal.”
Last season, City won the UEFA Champions League and the UCL. The oil money that started under Sheikh Mansour finally paid off. City won the English Premier League (EPL), the English FA Cup, and the UCL to complete the triple.
Now it’s time to defend the title. While the departure of longtime Etihad Stadium stalwarts Ilkay Gundogan and Mahrez will be missed, veteran midfielder Mateo Kovacic and the next world-class center back, Yossouko Gvardiol, have been brought in. Kyle Walker, who has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, has also been persuaded by Guardiola to stay.
With midfield and defense reinforcements in place, but options on the flanks gone. Initially, City were linked with Brighton ace Kaoru Mitoma. According to the UK’s The Sun, “Man City could swoop for Brighton’s Mitoma as Mahrez replacement. The transfer window is far from closed and Guardiola is focusing his attention on Mitoma,” raising the possibility of a surprise signing.
However, Brighton have already lost Robert Sanchez (to Chelsea), Alexis Sanchez (to Liverpool) and Moises Caicedo (to Chelsea). Any further hemorrhaging would be fatal, so the club is determined to keep Mitoma. In the end, the transfer speculation died down to nothing more than rumors.온라인카지노
However, rumors have emerged that City are targeting Dokou instead of Mitoma. The Belgian winger came up through the ranks at Anderlecht before joining Rennes in 2020, where he broke into Europe’s top five leagues. His strength is his devastating dribbling. According to soccer stats site Hoopscore.com, Dokou made a whopping 96 successful dribbles last season. That was good enough to rank third overall in Europe’s top five leagues, alongside “World Class” Vinicius Junior (112), “GOAT” Messi (102), and “South Korean international” Lee Kang-in (90).
City have approached Dokou as a potential replacement for Mahrez, but the transfer fee difference between the clubs remains a stumbling block. City are looking to bolster their squad with a number of options, including Dokou, and Lyon forward Bradley Barcola has also been linked.
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