Manchester City have reportedly made Frenchman Tanguy Ndombele their primary summer transfer target and will battle Manchester United for his signing.
According to an exclusive report from The Sun, Manchester City and Manchester United are set to clash in the summer transfer window for the signing of Olympique Lyon midfield mainstay Tanguy Ndombele.
The 22-year-old Ndombele is enjoying a sensational campaign with Lyon that has seen him attract admirers from across Europe. A graduate of the Guingamp youth academy, the midfiedler joined Amiens in the summer of 2014 and spent three years there, before switching to Lyon in 2017, initially on loan, before the transfer was made permanent last summer.
Ndombele, till date, has turned out on 80 occasions for Lyon, 33 of which have come in the ongoing campaign, scoring three goals and setting up 13 more. A midfielder who can perform in the box-to-box role as well as play as the defensive anchorman, the 22-year-old’s rise to prominence saw him break into the French national team last year.
Ndombele’s performances for Lyon have reportedly caught the eye of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss got a first-hand taste of what the 22-year-old can do, when his team faced the Ligue 1 outfit in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League this season.
The four-time capped French international was one of Lyon’s star performers as they managed to defeat the Premier League champions 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, before holding them to a 2-2 draw at home.
With City seeking a long-term replacement for midfield general Fernandinho, Guardiola has his eyes set on Ndombele and has made the Frenchman his top transfer target. To that end, the reigning English champions are preparing a £70 million bid for the France international, the report claims.
However, Manchester City will have to battle with local rivals Manchester United if they are to sign the 22-year-old Ndombele. The Red Devils, who tasted their first defeat under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against PSG earlier this week, have a settled midfield partnership of Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
However, Matic is into his thirties and has shown signs of age catching up with him over the course of this season, while last summer signing Fred has failed to live up to the expectations since arriving in a £52 million deal from Shakhtar Donetsk. Moreover, Herrera too is in the final year of his contract, prompting Manchester United to consider bolstering their midfield.
Ndombele signed a new contract with Lyon in September last year, extending his stay at the club till the summer of 2023. Given how rapidly he has risen over the past couple of seasons, the Ligue 1 side will be reluctant to lose their star man.
However, if a big offer comes along, which shouldn’t be a problem for both City or United, considering their deep pockets, Les Gones could well be forced into cashing in on the French international. It remains to be seen, however, if either of the two Mancunian outfits make a formal approach to secure Ndombele’s services in the summer window.
