Premier League champions Manchester City have been able to attract the best players for some time now, but the summer activity so far suggests Pep Guardiola’s club is more attractive than ever.
While newly rich Newcastle United are at the beginning of their journey and are shopping in the Championship, with the signing of Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope, City are years down the track and they don’t even have to outbid rivals to attract the biggest stars.
The transfer of Kalvin Phillips to the Sky Blues followed the marquee signing of Erling Braut Haaland, and it has emerged that another Premier League club bid a higher price for the England midfield ace than the Mancunians. West Ham head coach David Moyes has revealed that the Hammers offered a higher price for Phillips but the former Leeds United star opted to move across the Pennines to Manchester rather than heading for ‘the Smoke’.
City signed Phillips for an impressive £45m on a six-year deal and that could turn out to be a shrewd piece of business at the Etihad, particularly when you compare the fee to the asking price for West Ham’s defensive midfielder Declan Rice. The two players struck up a brilliant partnership during England’s Euro 2020 campaign, but Moyes is insisting that his player will only be sold at an eye-watering fee of £150m.
He hasn’t received any offers yet…
Back at the Etihad, on Tuesday it emerged that their defensive midfielder Rodri has committed his future to Manchester City by signing a new five-year deal, on the back of his best season for the club. He has become increasingly more influential since his 2019 transfer from Atletico Madrid, making 151 appearances and winning two league titles, and Rodri ranked as the best midfielder in the Premier League last season for successful passes (2629), recoveries (292) and an aerial win rate (72 per cent).
He’s now one of the best players in the world; a powerful presence in front of the City back four and he will be a fantastic partner for Phillips if Guardiola chooses to play both.
The Premier League 2022 betting odds are backing the Sky Blues for another title and the close season activity at the Etihad is doing nothing to give their rivals any encouragement at all.
Raphinha inching closer to Barcelona
Leeds United are in the midst of a mini-transition with the departure of Phillips to Manchester City and in other Premier League 2022 news it seems that winger Raphinha is getting closer to his dream move to La Liga giants Barcelona.
The Brazil star has been Leeds’ most productive attacking player since the Yorkshire side returned to the top flight in 2020 and he has picked up international recognition with his eye-catching performances for the Selecao.
While Leeds has a strong pull in the English league, Raphinha has become a world star and the Blaugrana are increasingly confident they can get their man, after Chelsea failed to persuade him to join the Todd Boehly project at Stamford Bridge.
The US businessman has stated his aim to win trophies for Chelsea and he has deep pockets as evidenced by the club’s serious interest in AC Milan’s 120 Euros rated star Rafael Leao. I Rossoneri are keen to hold on to their attacking midfielder who had an outstanding campaign last year, and the Scudetto holders know his worth.
But 120m Euros is a lot of cash and that would be hard to turn down.
Elsewhere, and as my SBOTOP colleague writes, Manchester United have so much to do before the new campaign begins with the departure of Paul Pogba already confirmed and slow progress in bringing new faces into the club.
New head coach Erik Ten Hag has been trying to bring his fellow countryman Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford for an age but he is still to get the deal over the line, and it has been reported that a negotiating team has flown to Catalonia to try to move things along.
There has been some question as to whether De Jong really fancies a move to Manchester as he has Champions League football at Barcelona and it seems the Red Devils are some way away from that level.
Manchester United is one of the most popular clubs in the world but if you can’t provide Champions League footy it is always going to be difficult to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.
And the other headache for Ten Hag is to keep his biggest stars at the club. Cristiano Ronaldo has recently expressed his wish to leave the club, for the second time, as he wants to win more silverware. That is hardly a ringing endorsement!
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