Manchester City ready to rival Arsenal for £88m “natural talent”

Manchester City and Arsenal are looking the likely competitors for the Premier League title so far, with the Sky Blues making a comeback after the disappointment of last season.

City are currently second in the top-flight table after comfortably beating Liverpool 3-0 ahead of the international break, now just four points behind leaders Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola will be desperate to get his squad back on track after a fall from almost-perfection over the last decade, and with Liverpool struggling to compete at the moment, there is an opportunity to reclaim domestic glory.

The treble-winners got some great business done during the summer transfer window, introducing Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, James Trafford, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Gianluigi Donnarumma into the first team.

Donnarumma and Reijnders, in particular, have been bright sparks in the starting eleven and have become trusted players in Guardiola’s philosophy for the next generation of success.

Now, the 54-year-old manager will be determined to knock Arsenal off their perch to deliver another Premier League title to the Cityzens, something he has already done twice while in direct competition with the Gunners.

However, new reports over the weekend suggest it is not only major trophies that Guardiola wants to snatch from Arsenal’s reach, as they are eyeing a move for one of Arteta’s top transfer targets too.

According to Fichajes, Manchester City are set to rival Arsenal for the signing of Real Madrid star Arda Güler.

The Spanish publication claims that City are willing to pay a whopping €100m (£88m) to secure the services of the talented attacker, with Guardiola already a huge admirer.

It was reported earlier this month that Güler was ready to join Arsenal in the summer, but Xabi Alonso blocked the move upon his arrival at the club.

There is no doubt that City have the ability to attract the very best talent to the club, given their exceptional recent history.

In the centre of the pitch, the club already boasts enormous talent, but the addition of Güler could be the catalyst in becoming an unstoppable force capable of challenging for and winning multiple trophies once again.

Over 16 appearances for Real Madrid this season, the 20-year-old – once hailed a “natural talent” by Alonso – has already scored three goals and registered six assists, averaging a goal contribution every 122 minutes.

That said, Güler offers much more to his game than just goal contributions.

The Turkish talent boasts exceptional technical ability and creativity, while being able to operate in several positions, from attacking midfield to wide-forward roles.

Güler currently has a contract with Los Blancos until 2029, and there is no indication that Alonso would be willing to let him go, given his resurgence under the new boss.

As a result, it would be a challenging deal for both Manchester City and Arsenal to complete at this time, but football moves fast, and the possibility shouldn’t be ruled out for next summer.

Rebekka Arnold is an experienced writer with a strong background in digital media, PR and football journalism.

Since 2021, Rebekka has written opinion pieces and match reaction content for Football Fancast, part of the Snack Media network, building on her growing presence in the football community through viral Twitter content and podcasting.

Now at Transfer Tavern, Rebekka brings her sharp eye for analysis and deep passion for the game to deliver engaging football opinion and breaking transfer news content.