According to sources speaking to Football Insider, Man City is attempting to secure money for the high-profile acquisition of Lucas Paqueta by selling Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo before the transfer deadline for up to £100 million.
If the Premier League champions want to wrest Paqueta away from West Ham this month, they will have to shell out more than £80 million.
Although City have acquired Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea this summer, the Brazilian midfielder has emerged as their priority target.
With Josko Gvardiol joining Pep Guardiola’s all-star squad, the club can now try to unload Cancelo and Laporte.
The Spanish manager of City no longer views both players as essential to the team’s future since they have fallen down the pecking order at the club.
During this transfer window, the club already lost established stars Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, while contract negotiations with Bernardo Silva are still ongoing despite interest from PSG, Barcelona, and Saudi Arabia.
Silva signed a contract extension in 2019 that extends his existing deal until 2025.
Kyle Walker was also on the verge of leaving the team, but he has apparently changed his mind and is almost ready to sign an extension with the Etihad.
The 33-year-old is entering the last year of his contract with Manchester and had been leaning towards a transfer after being dissatisfied with the initial extension offered by City.
The right-back, an England international, has been given a better deal by Guardiola’s team, which he is eager to take.