Mateo Kovacic arrived from Chelsea and will bring a lot of energy and penetration to Manchester City’s midfield but if you compare the Croat to now-former captain Ilkay Gundogan – you can’t say that Kovacic is the full-on replacement for the German. Their styles are different and Pep Guardiola still needs a player that does what Gundogan did – bring calmness and stability in the center of the pitch and connect the lines seamlessly. Kalvin Phillips did not impose himself to be trusted at that level so far, Rodri can’t do it all and all the time so no wonder the Cityzens are looking for someone to resemble their former skipper’s influence on the pitch.Guardiola is on the hunt, he found what he believes would fill the void and could try to lure none other than Manchester United’s long-lasting desire – Frenkie de Jong.The talented Dutchman was previously chased by Manchester United who desperately attempted to lure him to Old Trafford for the entirety of last year’s summer transfer window before conceding defeat as he opted to remain in Spain. De Jong previously expressed his desire to continue at the Nou Camp given Barcelona’s resurgence under Xavi – having won the La Liga title last season and qualified for the Champions League.##NAJAVA_MECA_7349167##City ended their pursuit of West Ham’s Declan Rice after Arsenal returned with a bid of 122 million euros and are now looking for an alternative to plug the hole in midfield. According to the Sun, the Cityzens may have more luck in convincing the 26-year-old to move to the Premier League as Guardiola weighs up whether or not to make a bid. Barcelona’s tricky financial situation means more outgoings will have to take place to fund new arrivals and De Jong could be shown the exit door if Man City make a tempting offer.Guardiola is apparently a huge admirer of De Jong and retains great interest in the midfielder after previously being unsuccessful when he tried to do a deal four years ago.However, they could force the Dutchman to reduce his salary demands despite City’s transfer kitty being given a welcome boost after their Treble winning heroics.##EDITORS_CHOICE##A role within the City set-up would likely see him operate in a midfield three alongside Rodri and John Stones who found a rich vein of form after being deployed by Guardiola in a hybrid midfield position.De Jong earns a reported 465,000-euros-per-week post-tax at Barcelona and would automatically become one of the Premier League’s top earners if similar wages were dished out to him at the Etihad.Meanwhile, United would be furious if they were beaten to the mark by their rivals. However, their own restrictive funds mean they would likely be unable to rival a bid for De Jong.Their recent 58 million euris acquisition of Mason Mount from Chelsea has been viewed as a smart investment, but has also heavily dented their transfer funds.
