Man City prepare £40m-plus bid to sign ‘insane’ AC Milan star with Pep keen

Manchester City they are now preparing a £40m-plus bid to sign an AC Milan star Pep Guardiola as they look to reverse their form over the coming months.

Man City continue to slide after derby defeat

A shock Defeat 2-1 against arch-rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium Man City’s woeful form continued, with two late goals seeing them break down again in the closing stages of a game.

Although it is still fifth in the Premier Leaguethey sit nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand against the reigning champions, and boast of relegation in recent weeks.

The Cityzens had not lost a game until their 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham on October 30, but since then have lost eight games in all competitions, winning just one in 11 and with no apparent reason for its downfall.

Their Champions League fate hangs in the balance, with City currently 22nd in the table and facing PSG and Club Brugge in their final two games, in which they will likely need at least one win. Perhaps most worryingly, Guardiola himself admitted that he did not have the answers to the obvious problems of the city.

“I’m not good enough”he explained after the defeat to Man Utd. “I’m the boss. I’m the manager. I have to find solutions and so far I haven’t. That’s the reality.”

“Not much else to say. No defence. Manchester United were incredibly persistent. We haven’t lost eight games in two seasons. We can’t defend that.”

Some of those answers may come in the January transfer window, and now Manchester City look set to bolster their midfield with a new signing.

Man City are preparing an offer for the AC Milan midfielder

This comes as a new report from Spain claims Manchester City are preparing an audacious bid to sign AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.

The Dutchman is enjoying a stellar season at the San Siro, having bagged three goals and two assists in 14 Serie A outings this season.

His campaign has been dubbed “insane”. football analyst Ben Mattinsonwho claimed to X that Reijnders was probably in the “top 5 fit midfielders right now”.

And the report claims that his performances have caught the attention of Guardiola himself, who “would be delighted to add” him to his team and believes he would bring “freshness, balance and versatility to the midfield”.

To that end, City are preparing to offer a sum of “close to €50m” (£41.3m) in an attempt to convince him to swap Milan for Manchester.

However, they will have to work hard and move quickly; Reijnders last month admitted that a new contract with Milan was closedalthough crucially it has not yet been signed.

“I’m about to sign a new contract with AC Milan and I’m very happy! This is a huge club and to extend after one season means a lot. I haven’t signed yet, but we’re almost there.”

Could Man City change their minds with their bid, or will Guardiola be forced to move on from the 26-year-old?