Manchester City have reportedly entered the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson, with Pep Guardiola keen to strengthen in the summer.
City signed Omar Marmoush from the German club in the January transfer window for a reported fee of £63.4m, but despite the forward having scored 15 goals and provided nine assists for Eintracht Frankfurt in 17 Bundesliga games this season, he has at times struggled in England.
In Marmoush's defence, the Citizens as a collective have failed to impress this campaign and are currently in fifth place in the Premier League with 48 points.
Guardiola has been no stranger to spending significantly in the past, and he will almost certainly need to revamp several areas of his ageing squad if he is to help his side mount a title challenge in 2025-26.
Sky Germany report that the City boss could look to raid Eintracht Frankfurt for midfielder Larsson, who would be allowed to leave for a fee in the region of £50m.
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Is Larsson the right fit?
Larsson is comfortable operating at the base of midfield or as a number eight, with the 20-year-old also adept at taking the ball from the backline.
No other midfielder at Eintracht Frankfurt has attempted more passes than him in the league this term (977), and he has also recorded the most progressive passes of any midfielder at the club (99).
With a top speed of 34.42 km/h in the Bundesliga, he would be one of the fastest midfielders at City, with Matheus Nunes the only central player to have recorded a faster speed in the Champions League (36.3 km/h).
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Will City challenge for the title next season?
Considering that City have won six of the last seven Premier League titles on offer, it would be foolish to write off their chances of mounting a challenge for the league next season.
Guardiola spent roughly £180m in the January transfer market on the likes of Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez, and it is clear that the former Barcelona boss has looked to sign younger talents in preparation for future seasons.
In fact, Marmoush was City's oldest acquisition in the winter window at 26 years old, with their five other signings either 23 or younger.
Whether these talents can develop into the calibre of players needed to spark a title challenge next season is unclear at this stage, but Guardiola is certainly looking to rejuvenate his stagnant squad.
Lewis Nolan
