Manchester City Must Start Planning For The Summer Transfer Window Immediately

History beckons for Manchester City. Only twice before has a Premier League team won four titles in a five-year stretch, but Pep Guardiola’s side can become the third. City have made themselves English soccer’s predominant force and hold a nine-point lead at the top of the top flight that still doesn’t quite illustrate their strength.

And yet the decision makers at the Etihad Stadium must consider what the future might hold. Despite their current standing, Manchester City are still lacking in a number of key positions, most notably up front where they are missing a designated number nine after the retirement of Sergio Aguero at the end of last season.

Last summer saw City fail in their efforts to lure Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur. By all accounts, Kane wanted the transfer to happen with Guardiola known to be a long-term admirer of the England captain. Tottenham, however, refused to buckle in their valuation of their top scorer and Kane remained in North London.

With the summer transfer window on the horizon, Manchester City must weigh up whether or not they plan on returning for Kane or if another target might make better sense. By the time the 2022/22 Premier League season starts, Kane will be 29. Would City be wiser to invest such a large amount of transfer capital in another centre forward?

Erling Haaland, for instance, is expected to be on the market. A €75m release clause in the Norwegian’s Borussia Dortmund contract will become active at the end of the season and every member of the European elite is already lining to make their sales pitch to the best young striker in the game.

In many ways, Haaland would be a better option for City than Kane. At just 21, he would be a greater long-term investment than the Tottenham Hotspur frontman. What’s more, Haaland’s direct running would give the Premier League champions a different dimension. He might also be cheaper.

Transfer speculation has recently linked Manchester City with River Plate youngster Julian Alvarez. The 21-year-old is also reportedly on the radar of Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid and has been likened to Sergio Aguero. Alvarez’s talent isn’t in any doubt, but is he ready to lead the line for a team challenging for major honours on all fronts?

City must also consider Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling’s future. The former is now 30 and will enter the final year of his contract this summer while the latter has openly pondered the possibility of a move abroad – Barcelona and Real Madrid have both been linked with Sterling. It’s possible Manchester City might have to sign more than one new attacker in the summer window.

This, however, is where City are so far ahead of many of their rivals. It’s certainly true that the Abu Dhabi-backed club has significant resources, but they also know how to navigate the transfer market better than most. Manchester City will have to call upon those skills in the near future to stay at the top.