Manchester City, the Premier League giants, have reportedly initiated talks with a club that reached last season's Champions League final. The discussions are centered around the bargain transfer of one of their star players following an unexpected sale from their own team.
City has already made significant improvements this summer by signing goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and attacker Rayan Cherki. However, there is still a need to recruit at right-back.
Previously, Kyle Walker was not favoured anymore and had been sent out on loan last season. He has now made a surprising move to Burnley which necessitates quick action from City to find his replacement.
Targeting Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries
City is said to be well-positioned to land Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries as Walker's replacement. According to FootballTransfers reports, they have initiated talks with Inter over a potential move. They are currently exploring Dumfries' willingness to make the switch over to Etihad Stadium.
Dumfries has an active €25million (£21.5m) release clause only until July 15th which puts pressure on City for swift action on this transfer deal seen as too good an opportunity to pass up. The sale of Walker came as little surprise given recent links with several clubs but his destination - newly-promoted Burnley - was certainly unexpected. With a contract worth more than £150k per week at City, it is believed that selling him could save the club around £10million in contract terms alone.
While it remains unclear what salary they'd offer Dumfries if he agrees for the transfer; considering his impressive performance last season where he contributed directly towards 17 goals including five direct goal contributions in the Champions League, it wouldn't be surprising if he out-earns what Walker was making at Etihad.
Man City round-up
In other news, Nico Gonzalez, who joined City six months ago, reportedly wants to leave the club. He feels that he won't get much playtime ahead of Rodri and new signing Reijnders and is looking to play first-team football elsewhere.
Meanwhile, plans to sign Tino Livramento have hit a snag as Newcastle has set an 'astronomical' fee for his transfer. They are unwilling to let the right-back go for anything less than £80million.
This summer promises exciting times for Manchester City fans as they watch their team restructure and strategize for the upcoming season.
