Pep Guardiola is fighting tooth and nail to retain Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva in his treble-winning squad this month after being hit with what he calls a “transfer tax” by other teams, according to Guardiola.
Josh Gvardiol, a defender from RB Leipzig, was getting a physical at City’s practice pitch on Friday afternoon as he neared a £77.6 million transfer.
But City’s manager wants to keep hold of two crucial players because their season begins against Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday.
Walker was ready to join Bayern Munich last month, while Silva is still a player of interest to Paris St-Germain, Barcelona, and Saudi Arabia.
Keeping hold of the pair has become a priority for Guardiola since he is lacking depth at full-back and wide in midfield, especially given the “cost.”
Because we are Manchester City, buying a player always costs £10–15 million more than it would for other clubs, according to Guardiola.
The same guys must first make an offer if they want our key players, and that hasn’t happened.
“When that happens, we’ll strive to keep you on board and extend the contract. Since day one, that has occurred with every one of our players.
In the case of Bernardo and Kyle, we have discussed how important they are to us, how much we want them, and how we will do so until the very end on several occasions over the past few months and even years.
They are incredibly significant players, so whatever happens, if the clubs can’t come to an agreement won’t happen.
“When we lose these players, we have to look for replacements on the market, and these players don’t cost £10 million, $20 million, $30 million, $40 million, or $50 million?
“No. More money is required than that. In order to strengthen the team and defend the championships we have already won and win games for our supporters, we need that money to pay off more players.
Guardiola witnessed veterans Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan depart the Etihad over the summer, but the City boss respected their decision to leave.
“Winning the Treble makes it seem like the task is finished,” he remarked. “Players like Ilkay and Riyad, who are 32 and 33, claim that we came to this country to win Premier Leagues when people inquire about the Champions League.
Some gamers think they’d like a fresh experience. I won’t be the one to refuse, but they must come to an accord with the club’s crucial business. An agreement is made, and it occurs.
Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea is the only player Guardiola has signed so far this summer, in contrast to last season’s runners-up Arsenal, who have made several signings already, notably Declan Rice, a previous City target.
Guardiola feels his old assistant Mikel Arteta has put Arsenal back on the path to their former glory, despite the fact that he anticipates a lot of competition as he attempts to become the first manager to ever win four consecutive Premier League titles.
The starting XI players were purchased, not players to increase the size of the team, according to Guardiola.
I could not have predicted otherwise. Liverpool did it a little less, but now that Henderson and Fabinho are gone, they’ll go back to the market, and Newcastle did it once more. It’s typical. The teams aim to improve each season.
“Since Arsene Wenger put the team in that position, Arsenal has been there. Because Wenger made so many changes to English football, I’m overjoyed that he now has the statue at the Emirates that he so richly deserves.
He may have had the biggest impact on the board when it came to bringing something fresh that wasn’t already there.
“Maybe the fashion declined in recent years, but Mikel brought them back to their previous level.”