Great teams always strengthen from a position of strength. Despite winning four out of the last five Premier League titles, Manchester City are still looking to add fresh faces to an already star-studded squad.
They have already completed the £51 million signing of Erling Haaland, bringing their search for Sergio Agüero's successor to a natural conclusion. In the Bundesliga, the Norway international had been operating at almost a goal per game.
He will add even more firepower to the league's most prolific forward line and is likely to start up front nearly every week - despite the successes of Pep Guardiola's false-nine experiment.
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However, signing one of the world's best forwards is seemingly not enough and City have now turned their attentions to another problem position - defensive midfield. Rodri was imperious last season and he certainly made that position his own, but competition for places is vitally important to maintain high levels of performance, so a back-up to the Spaniard will be needed.
Club captain Fernandinho's departure has only accelerated that need, with Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips the most heavily linked with a move to the Etihad. The so-called 'Yorkshire Pirlo' has risen to prominence since driving his boyhood club to promotion in 2019/20 and has attracted the attention of City and cross-town rivals Manchester United.
Amid such an action-packed season, the Blues will need to use their squad depth to the maximum as they look to achieve something Liverpool could not - the quadruple.
Speaking on a recent Dr Football podcast, City's CEO Ferran Soriano has discussed the club's potential summer business and where they could be looking to strengthen.
He said: "We need to change only what we need to change and we need to change two things: We need a striker - we have it - and we need a replacement for Fernandinho.
"We have one, Rodri, but we need another because the season is very long. So we’re only looking at these two players"
Of course, picking up all four trophies is the hardest achievement in world football and 180 minutes of action stopped Jurgen Klopp's men from achieving just that last season. City's heroic comeback against Aston Villa on the final day to win the Premier League, followed by defeat in Paris against Real Madrid in the Champions League final left the Reds with just two from the four on offer.
City - despite going deep in each competition - were a victim of Guardiola's typically small squad last season and this summer's transfer business is signalling a slight shift from that.
In the past, the Blues have delayed signings if they think the asking price is too steep. They waited a year to find Vincent Kompany's replacement and they also waited a year to sign Sergio Agüero's, however, there has been no messing about when it comes to finding Fernandinho's this year.
Signing Phillips - on top of links with Marc Cucurella - will signal an intent from City that they are planning to push on with their domestic domination and go one step further in every competition this season. If any team in world football can achieve such a feat, it's City. And Guardiola's relentless pursuit of perfection will push them all the way.
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Man City are taking a risk with their transfer strategy this summer
