Pep readying Man City offer to sign £52m “genius”

Manchester City have had a busy summer transfer window already. Pep Guardiola’s side were poor for the majority of the 2024/25 campaign, and now there seems to be a real focus on reshaping the squad over the summer transfer window.

After losing Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer, there was a clear focus on signing a new attacking midfielder. Rayan Cherki was the man they brought in, costing £30m from French side Lyon. He certainly has big shoes to fill, with great number tens like De Bruyne and David Silva coming before him.

However, the Frenchman might not be the only attacking midfielder that City sign this summer, with Guardiola’s side linked with another player in that position.

City’s next attacking midfield target

Losing De Bruyne to Napoli was certainly something people may have expected, but replacing him will be an incredibly tough task. That is perhaps why City want to sign another playmaker to help reduce the workload on Cherki.

Well, according to a new report from Spain, City may have identified their target, Barcelona and Spain midfielder Fermin Lopez. Citizens boss Guardiola is said to have set his sights on signing the La Masia graduate from his former club this summer.

The report explains that City are willing to submit a bid for the youngster, and could have to pay as much as £52m to acquire his services this summer.

Why Fermin would be a good signing

Breaking into the Barcelona first team at any time is easier said than done. With that in mind, for Fermin to become an important player in Hansi Flick’s midfield alongside the likes of Pedri is a real testament to his ability, and perhaps why football talent scout Jacek Kulig called him a “genius”.

His value to a successful Barca side last season was clear to see. The 22-year-old played 46 times across all competitions, scoring eight times and registering ten assists. His versatility was important for Flick, who deployed him as a number eight, a number 10 and both flanks.

Fermin is already a Spain international and was a key part of their gold medal-winning Olympic side last summer. His record was exceptional, playing in all six of Spain’s games, scoring six goals and bagging two assists, including two goals in a 5-3 win over hosts France in the final.

In fact, a closer look at his underlying numbers from the 2024 Olympic Games, via Sofascore, shows just how well the 22-year-old performed. For example, he created 1.3 key passes and averaged 1.5 goal involvements per 90 minutes.

If City were to bring Fermin to the Etihad Stadium this summer, they would love for him to have the same impact as Silva did at the club. The Spanish attacking midfielder was once called “Manchester City’s greatest ever player” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.

It is easy to see why the silky attacking midfielder is so well-thought of as a City player. He played 436 games for the club, scoring 77 goals and registering a phenomenal 136 assists. He was a key part of four Premier League title-winning sides, having also arrived from LaLiga after joining from Valencia in 2010.

With words like “genius” being thrown around to describe Fermin, it is easy to see how he can become their new Silva. There are clear similarities between the two, with them both being Spanish attacking midfielders who can orchestrate play and create chance after chance for their team.

Of course, it is not easy to hit the heights of a legend like Silva. Yet, Fermin has already shown great signs that he can become a top creative player in midfield. If his performance in the Olympics was anything to go by, City will have an exciting talent on their hands.

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