Manchester City secured the Premier League title by a solitary point ahead of Liverpool last season and Pep Guardiola will not rest on his laurels to ensure his squad is as strong as possible for next season.
City have already snapped up one of Europe's hottest properties with the signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund to solve their apparent lack of cutting edge up front.
Haaland will certainly bring more firepower in attack but Guardiola is unlikely to stop there with defensive and other attacking players on his radar this summer. Mirror Sport rounds up all the latest transfer news and rumours.
Saka move denied
City have dismissed suggestions they are set to move for Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka, as reported by the Daily Mail and elsewhere. Saka is heading into the final two years of his contract with the Gunners and it was claimed City were monitoring the 20-year-old's situation.
But City sources have told Mirror Sport there is “nothing in the rumours” linking them with Saka, as Arsenal attempt to tie the highly-rated attacker down to a new long-term contract.
City already have an abundance of attacking talent able to play out wide, including British record £100million signing Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus. Despite Saka's huge talent and potential, City are adamant he is not a player currently on their radar, with Pep Guardiola targeting a full-back and holding midfielder this summer, after signing Haaland and Julian Alvarez.
Although Saka's current deal has two years left to run, it contains an option for a further year, which would keep him at the Emirates until 2025, should Arsenal, as expected, activate that clause. Arsenal are aware their failure to qualify for the Champions League could impact their hopes of persuading Saka to extend his current deal, but City are not about to take advantage of the situation.
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Juventus defender on radar
City are one of three Premier League clubs reportedly linked with Matthijs de Ligt, with Juventus looking to reduce the defender's salary. Juve want to slash De Ligt's €12million-a-year salary to €7.5m-a-year, but the Holland star is unwilling to take such a drastic pay cut. City, Manchester United and Liverpool have all been linked with a move for the 22-year-old former Ajax centre-back this summer with Guardiola keen on the player according to Calcio Mercato.
However, it looks like Nathan Ake has no intention of leaving City despite reports of a £50m switch to Newcastle. The 27-year-old joined City in 2020 from relegated Bournemouth for £40m, but has struggled with injuries in his first season and played just 13 times. In the most recent campaign, Ake enjoyed more outings for City as centre-back and left-back cover, as he made 27 appearances — although he is still firmly behind Ruben Dias, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte in the central defensive pecking order.
Zinchenko interest grows
London rivals Arsenal and West Ham are both keen on signing Manchester City's versatile Ukraine international Oleksandr Zinchenko. Zinchenko has struggled to hold down a regular starting place under Guardiola and could be open to a move away from the Etihad this summer in order to play more first-team football.
Gunners coach Mikel Arteta and Hammers boss David Moyes are admirers of Zinchenko, in particular his ability to play left-back and in midfield and the Evening Standard said the two clubs will battle it out to sign him.
