Etihad Stadium officials were only handed further work over the weekend as Pep Guardiola’s side outlined their ultimate struggles with the culmination of this season’s FA Cup, as Crystal Palace defeated City at the Final stage.
A single first-half goal from Eberechi Eze proved to be the difference between Manchester City and the South London club, as Guardiola and his players made it back-to-back defeats in the FA Cup Final in what was their third successive appearance at that stage of the competition.
It was also an afternoon that further highlighted Manchester City’s frailties in midfield, as a fitness struggle sustained by Mateo Kovacic in the lead-up to the game forced the Croatian to be left out of the contest.
Pep Guardiola insisted that it was a case of not wanting to risk a player ahead of a vital game in the Premier League on Tuesday night, as Bournemouth visit the Etihad Stadium with three points a non-negotiable for the hosts as they chase UEFA Champions League football.
In the background, work continues on the aforementioned midfield roles that have caused City so many issues this season, and particularly the club’s hunt to sign one of Italian football’s very best operators in the middle of the park.
According to the information of Calciomercato’s Daniele Longo, as translated and relayed by Get Italian Football News, Pep Guardiola is keen on bringing AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders to the Etihad this summer and City are now preparing to launch an offer.
It is further detailed that City have already spoken to AC Milan to make it clear that they want the Netherlands international, and are now ‘putting a lot of pressure’ on to sign the midfielder – whose own intentions remain unknown at this stage.
However, AC Milan would be ‘open to a sale’ should Manchester City offer an eye-watering €80 million for the player, while an initial offering of €70 million is said to be on the minds of those within the Etihad Stadium.
While there is no doubt work to be done in order to satisfy both clubs involved here, the report does suggest that AC Milan would be happy to agree to bonuses being included in a deal should the overall potential valuation hit €80 million.
Reijnders is not the only name on the lips of Manchester City officials as they continue to search for a long-term replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, as Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz remains the priority for the role.
However, complications over the battle for the player’s signature amid competition from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and now Liverpool means the route to the German international is far from straight forward.
As such, there is now a growing belief in some quarters that City bosses are preparing back-up names to explore in the event of disappointment when it comes to the 22-year-old, with those names believed to include the likes of Barcelona’s Dani Olmo
