Six Players Man City should Sign in January

If Phillips does leave then Fofana would be an ideal replacement. The France international is a box-to-box midfielder who is as comfortable sitting deep and anchoring his team as he is getting forward and orchestrating play, contributing to four goals this season for Monaco.

Fofana has not had an easy path to the top and was dropped from France’s national academy in Clairefontaine aged 15, prompting him to make his way in lower-league football and working as a pizza delivery boy to pay the bills.

His determination has paid off and he is now a regular fixture in the France side – impressing at the 2022 World Cup – as well as one one of the most influential players for Monaco, who have risen to third in Ligue 1.

He is 24 and valued at around £30m ($38m), making him an attractive proposition for City – especially if they get a sizeable transfer fee for Phillips.

Bayer Leverkusen are the only unbeaten team in Europe’s top-five leagues and Palacios is one of the main reasons why.

The Argentina international has been a mainstay for Leverkusen but has excelled under Xabi Alonso, improving his attacking productivity with two goals and three assists at the halfway stage of the season.

Palacios was heavily linked with Real Madrid after being one of the key players in River Plate’s 2018 Copa Libertadores triumph but the move was abandoned and it was probably for the best.

Instead he took the safer route to Europe with Leverkusen in 2020 and has honed his game and turned into one of the best players in the Bundesliga.

Now he is ready for a move to an elite side and would be available for around £40m ($51m), an affordable price to ease the burden on Rodri.

Guardiola was the man who transformed Kimmich’s career by signing him from RB Leipzig – then in Germany’s second division – and putting him straight into his first team at Bayern Munich. He also turned him from a right-back into a midfielder.

Kimmich has continued to grow since Guardiola’s departure and a reunion could be on the cards as the Germany international has followed the example of many of his fellow Bayern players and run down his contract, which expires in 18 months, decreasing the price his club can demand for him.

Unlike with Phillips, there would be no question of Kimmich not fitting into Guardiola’s demanding style of play. And he could also take the baton from Bernardo Silva if the Portuguese finally gets his wish and moves to Barcelona or Benfica in a year or two.

After pulling off one of the greatest bargains in recent years with Alvarez, City already have a track record of signing young players from River Plate, and Echeverri looks set to be their next target.

Echeverri, who has been compared to Lionel Messi, has only played five matches for River’s first team but has shone in youth football, scoring five goals in Argentina’s run to the Under-17 World Cup, including bagging a hat-trick against Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have also shown an interest in the 17-year-old attacking midfielder, who is nick-named El Diablito (the little devil) and renowned for his daring dribbles.

But City are in pole position to sign him for just £20m ($25m) according to reports in Argentina, although, as happened with Alvarez, he would remain with River Plate until the summer at least.

No club produces young talents quite like Benfica, who have banked more than £1.18 billion ($1.5bn) in player sales in the 21st century.

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Enzo Fernandez became the club’s most expensive export when he joined Chelsea last January and although the Argentina midfielder’s departure was a big loss for the Lisbon giants, it opened up a space in the team for Joao Neves – their latest great hope from the academy.

Neves took full advantage of Fernandez’s departure and quickly locked down the vacant holding midfielder’s role in Roger Schmidt’s side, helping them win the league title and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

He has played in every league game this season at the base of the midfield and also shone in international football.

His strike against Belgium was voted the Goal of the Tournament in the Under-21 European Championship and he made his senior debut for Portugal in October.

Benfica have slapped a €100 million (£87m/$110m) buyout clause on Neves and are shrewd negotiators, as Chelsea discovered last year when they wanted to sign Fernandez.

City used to turn away from such deals, but the signing of Josko Gvardiol showed they are willing to pay a high price for young talent and Neves could be the solution to their midfield for many years to come.

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And compatriot Bernardo Silva has pledged to do what he can to convince the youngster to join him at the Etihad Stadium.

It’s no secret that Guardiola loves an inverted full-back and Barco looks like being one of the best future exponents of the role.

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He became the fourth-youngest player to play for Boca Juniors when he made his debut aged 16 in 2021, although 2023 was his real breakthrough year.

Barco, 19, inspired Boca to the Copa Libertadores final after being shifted into an attacking midfield role, having initially broken into the team at left-back.

His versatility makes him ideally suited to work with Guardiola, who is forever shifting players around the pitch, from John Stones to Nathan Ake.