Man City to steal Liverpool, Chelsea target as Pep Guardiola identifies perfect successor for departing star

Liverpool and Chelsea could lose out on a talented player to Manchester City after Pep Guardiola began pursuing him, according to reports.

Liverpool and City had very different January transfer windows to Chelsea. The Reds and City brought in one player each. Cody Gakpo joined Jurgen Klopp’s side for an initial £35million from PSV, though the deal could eventually be worth £45m if certain conditions are met.

City, meanwhile, brought in 20-year-old Argentine midfielder Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield. As per the Daily Mail, Perrone cost City £8.2m and will link up the Guardiola’s squad once he finishes Argentina U20 duty.

Chelsea, in stark contrast to both of those sides, brought in a plethora of new players in the winter window. David Datro Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez all arrived in west London.

Those eight new arrivals took Chelsea’s spending in the Todd Boehly era to around £490m. And it has recently been revealed whether the Blues will spend any more money in the summer.

Liverpool and Chelsea have both been linked with moves for Brighton star Alexis Mac Allister. The midfielder’s stock has risen hugely in the past 12 months, with a large part of this coming from his role in Argentina’s World Cup triumph in Qatar.

But Liverpool and Chelsea could miss out on the Brighton ace as City are now plotting a bid for him. According to Goal’s live transfer blog (04/02 at 10:15), which cites reports coming out of Spain, City are keen on capturing Mac Allister in the summer.

And while he has previously been valued at £60m, there are now suggestions he could move on for just €40m (£36m).

Brighton star could replace Ilkay Gundogan

Guardiola apparently views Mac Allister as the ideal successor to Ilkay Gundogan in the City midfield. Gundogan is due to become a free agent at the end of the season and is picking up interest from Barcelona. A return to the German Bundesliga is also on the cards.

Mac Allister would indeed be a great replacement for Gundogan. He is a top Premier League performer. He also showed he can handle the biggest of stages when shining at the World Cup.

However, the notion that City could pick Mac Allister up for just £36m is surely wide of the mark. Brighton know they have a jewel on their hands and will not let him go for anywhere near this price.

Just look at Moises Caicedo as an example. Arsenal bid £70m for Mac Allister’s fellow midfielder in January, but the Seagulls said this would not be enough.

Mac Allister is rated at a similar level to Caicedo. Therefore, if City want to snare the Argentine, they will have to stump up more than double that £36m figure.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s Transfer Gossip claims City are looking at raiding Arsenal for a high-quality player.