Champions League team chase Man City for two-player transfer as changes start after Guardiola leaves
Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid are interested in two Manchester City players, even though one of them only joined City last summer.
Pep Guardiola, who managed City for ten years, had his last game in charge as they lost 2-1 at home to Aston Villa last Sunday (May 24). He leaves as one of the best managers in English football history, having won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups, three Community Shields, a UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup with City.
Guardiola is expected to be replaced by Enzo Maresca, who used to coach Leicester and Chelsea and has worked with City’s coaching team before.
Next season, players like Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, Marc Guehi, Rayan Cherki, and Gianluigi Donnarumma will be key for City. However, experienced players John Stones and Bernardo Silva have confirmed they will leave after good spells at the club.
While Stones’ future is still unclear, the Daily Mail says Atletico Madrid are interested in Silva, who could join them on a free transfer. Other clubs like Benfica, Barcelona, and teams from Saudi Arabia and MLS also want Silva.
It’s not just Silva who could move to Spain. Atletico are also keen on midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, even though he joined City from AC Milan for £46.6 million less than a year ago. Reijnders had a good start but found it hard to get into the starting lineup under Guardiola, so other clubs are now asking about him.
Reijnders scored seven goals and made eight assists in 47 games this season and earned a spot in Ronald Koeman’s World Cup squad. He has a contract with City until 2030 and reportedly earns about £250,000 a week. He has also been linked with a return to Italy’s Serie A.
Atletico had a tough season, finishing second to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey, fourth in La Liga behind Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Villarreal, and they struggled in the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal.
Veteran forward Antoine Griezmann has moved to MLS side Orlando City, and Julian Alvarez has attracted an £87 million bid from rivals Barcelona.