Manchester City are weighing up summer bids for Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice and Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell, according to The Sun.
City boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly keen to add young English talent to his squad ahead of the 2019/20 season. The Premier League champions are said to have deployed scouts to find homegrown players who can make the grade at the Etihad Stadium.
Wan-Bissake, Rice and Chilwell are now at the top of the shopping list. So, what about the three reported targets?
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Wan-Bissaka, aged 21, is enjoying a breakthrough season in the Premier League and is tipped to win an England call-up next month. With prospective England team-mate Kyle Walker already at the Etihad Stadium and Brazil international Danilo providing decent competition, right-back would not appear to be a position in which City need to strengthen and it would be a risky move for Wan-Bissaka’s development.
Declan Rice
A move for Rice makes sense. The West Ham starlet, aged 20, recently made headlines after declaring he wants to represent England at international level, having already won three caps for the Republic of Ireland. City’s current holding midfielder Fernandinho will turn 34 before the end of the season. Guardiola failed in an attempt to add another option to his squad last summer, with Jorginho opting to join Chelsea instead.
Ben Chilwell
Chilwell is another obvious target. The 22-year-old is already an England international and he could help to solve City’s problems at left-back. Benjamin Mendy, aged 24, continues to struggle with the knee injuries that have blighted his time at the Etihad Stadium to date. Chilwell would be an upgrade an Guardiola’s current makeshift left-back options of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabian Delph and Fernandinho.
