Manchester City are chasing two wonderkids in a deal that could keep them dominant for years: report

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Manchester, England.
(Image credit: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))

Manchester City are making moves for two young superstars to sustain Pep Guardiola's dominance.

The Citizens have won all but two titles since Guardiola arrived at Eastlands, last season picking up a Treble – but this is becoming one of the most defining periods of his reign. The squad is steadily being rebuilt, as the Catalan looks to refresh the side and bring in new motivation – and he might not be finished in the transfer window.

Riyad Mahrez left Manchester City for Saudi Arabia earlier in the window without a direct replacement coming into the side. It appears as if there are two hugely talented starlets on the horizon, though.

Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City celebrates scoring the fourth goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on January 19, 2023 in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Riyad Mahrez left Manchester City this summer (Image credit: Visionhaus/Getty Images)

According to Italian journalist Matteo Moretto of Relevo, City are turning to Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid Florian Wirtz as a potential game-changer for the future, with the highly-rated German still only 20 years old.

Wirtz is regarded as one of the finest talents in the world of his age group, offering versatility, creativity and the ability to drag his team through tough moments. A deal would be tough to conclude this summer but the draw of going to the European champions may be enough to convince Wirtz to make the step up to the Premier League.

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In addition to him though, The Sun says that Lyon superstar Bradley Barcola – also 20 – may be an option. 

A superb dribbler who has caught the attention of Barcelona, Barcola would be considerably cheaper and feels like a much rawer product than Wirtz – though either player may not peak for another few years. 

Florian Wirtz, best young players in the world

Florian Wirtz is being tracked by Manchester City (Image credit: Getty Images)

City already have a number of young talents in attack, with Phil Foden being the obvious one. Julian Alvarez is just 23, too, while academy products Cole Palmer and James McAtee are just 21 and 20 respectively. 

Transfermarkt values Wirtz at €85 million and Barcola at €18m. 

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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.