Manchester City have reportedly set their sights on acquiring Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos in the summer and are even willing to offer Bernardo Silva as a part of the deal.
According to a report in Spanish publication Don Balon, Kroos is just one of the many players that the newly crowned Premier League champions are intent on acquiring, as they look to bolster their ranks for next season’s title defence.
The report goes onto state that Pep Guardiola is looking to replace Fernandinho, who turns 33 next month. The 47-year-old boss spent a season working with Kroos at Bayern Munich and will be well aware of what the German international is capable of.
Fernandinho usually plays at the base of Guardiola’s midfield three, behind David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne and Guardiola reportedly believes that Kroos would be perfect fit for that position, even though he isn’t used there by Zinedine Zidane at Real.
The Citizens are reportedly so intent on bringing the 28-year-old to the Etihad, that they are reportedly willing to include Bernardo Silva as a part of the deal. The 23-year-old winger has made 50 appearances this season, scoring 8 goals providing 11 assists.
He hasn’t quite been able to live up to his €50 million price tag and he has started only 26 of those appearances. He has found it difficult to replace Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling on the wings and had it not been for his versatility, it could be argued that he would have played fewer games.
City already have Ilkay Gundogan who can play in that position, but Fernandinho isn’t getting any younger and Yaya Toure is expected to leave at the end of the season. Toni Kroos would be a fantastic acquisition for Guardiola’s men and his familiarity of his old bosses’ philosophy and style would make it that much easier for him to settle in.
In their only season together, they won the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. At only 28, he may not have even entered his prime and Guardiola could be the man who can help take his game to the next level.
He is integral to Real Madrid’s success and it would likely take more than cash and just Bernardo Silva to convince Real to part with him. He has just over two seasons left on his current contract and Real can still get a lot of money from his sale this summer.
Real Madrid know that they have one of the best midfielders on the planet in their ranks. He has formed a fantastic partnership with Luka Modric and Casemiro in midfield and it is highly unlikely that any amount of money would convince Real to part with their German maestro.
Los Blancos don’t exactly need to cut costs themselves and can match anything that City offer him in terms of wages. However after 4 years at the club in which he has scored 11 goals, provided 54 assists and won 9 major trophies, he has nothing left to prove and may consider taking up a new challenge.
