Man City will look to strengthen in the summer as Pep Guardiola builds for another Premier League title push.
Manchester City could be forced to pay big money in order to re-sign two former stars with reports suggesting they want Pedro Porro and Douglas Luiz in the summer.
City are expecting a quiet final fortnight of the January transfer window but will need to reinvest in the squad ahead of another title challenge. Right-back and central midfield will be points of focus, with Kyle Walker 34 in May and Kalvin Phillips likely to leave either this month or at the end of the season.
And now Football Insider reports that Pep Guardiola could look to bring two former Blues back to the Etihad – although it will come at a cost. Both Porro and Luiz said to be valued around £100million by Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively, which is a huge uptick on the amount City sold them for.
Those in charge at the Etihad are said to have a ‘strong interest’ in Porro, who has been excellent for Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou this season. City signed the right-back from sister club Girona in 2019 but after loan spells at Real Valladolid and Sporting Lisbon, he was sold to the latter for just £7.2million back in 2022.
Porro excelled in the Portuguese capital and Sporting made a healthy profit on him when Tottenham sanctioned his £42m signing a year ago but the 24-year-old’s stock has continued to rise. He has seven Premier League assists this season and under Postecoglou, is mastering the inverted full-back role so admired by Guardiola.
Luiz left City on loan for Girona back in 2017 and after two seasons, was sold to Aston Villa for £15m, having made no appearances for the Blues. But his form in the Midlands, particularly under Unai Emery has seen the Brazilian among the league’s best defensive midfielders. Arsenal are long-time admirers of Luiz and are thought to have had several bids rejected for the 25-year-old. But their £100m-plus move for Declan Rice in the summer will likely put them out of the race. However, the report does name Barcelona and Liverpool as potential rivals.
A move for the pair would present a major and costly U-turn for City, who brought in just £22.2m for their transfers but could be forced to pay almost 10 times that a few years later. The Blues would naturally hope to get reported £100m fees down on either side, but Porro is tied down to a long-term contract at Tottenham although Luiz’s deal at Villa expires in 2026.
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