Manchester City fans have been reacting buoyantly to a post on Twitter relaying a report claiming that Pep Guardiola is seriously contemplating making a move for Frenkie de Jong following their decision to pull out of the race for West Ham’s Declan Rice.
The Cityzens abandoned their pursuit of Rice after the Gunners submitted their third bid of £105m and are now looking for an alternative to plug that gap in midfield left by the departure of their captain.
De Jong had previously been sitting dead center in the crosshairs of Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag who was openly desperate in attempting to lure the Dutchman from Camp Nou to Old Trafford for the entirety of last year’s summer transfer window before finally conceding defeat as the midfielder obdurately opted to remain in Spain.
However, a new scenario is unfolding where City have reportedly joined in the race to sign him. Needless to say, Dutchman Ten Hag would be fuming if they were beaten to the mark by their bitter rivals across the city.
The Sun reports that Guardiola is keen on signing the Blaugranas star despite claiming that Barcelona will want at least £90m that the Cityzens were willing to offer the Hammers for Rice.
This strategic shift in strategy implies a strong intention by master tactician Guardiola to find a suitable replacement for skipper Ilkay Gundogan who recently transferred to Camp Nou.
A huge admirer of De Jong, Guardiola had always retained great interest in the midfielder after his previous unsuccessful attempt to pinch him four years ago.