MANCHESTER CITY could line up with a brand-new midfield featuring Declan Rice next season.
Pep Guardiola is reportedly preparing a summer transfer overhaul to freshen up his title-winning machine.
City have won four of the last five Premier League seasons – but are in a major battle with Arsenal this term.
Now Teamtalk state Rice is high on the Etihad wishlist for a summer switch.
Guardiola is up against former assistant Mikel Arteta, neighbour Erik ten Hag and Graham Potter to land the West Ham captain, who has rejected a contract extension at the London Stadium.
David Moyes has insisted the Hammers would demand at least £100million for the academy graduate and England regular.
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But City – who also want fellow Three Lions star Jude Bellingham – could make room and funds for Rice by selling a number of midfielders.
Kalvin Phillips only arrived from Leeds for £42m last summer but has made just 11 appearances and just two starts – one in the FA Cup and one in the League Cup – in an injury-hit campaign.
The reports suggests the midfielder could be moved on to make space for Rice while Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan have both been linked with Barcelona.
Mateo Kovacic is a surprise transfer target for City, too, as he prepares to enter the final 12 months of his current Chelsea contract – as does Leicester’s James Maddison – while World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister is another name linked.
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Left-backs Ben Chilwell and Antonee Robinson are both possible replacements for Joao Cancelo if he makes his Bayern Munich move permanent while in-demand defender Josko Gvardiol could also be targeted.
It means City’s starting XI could look very different next season- although the likes of Ederson, Ruben Dias, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish are surely safe.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
