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The Premier League champions have climbed up the table after a sluggish start to the season following narrow defeats to Leicester City and Tottenham without the services of an out-and-out striker following the departure of club legend Sergio Aguero to Barcelona in June.

Pep Guardiola's side have had 17 different goalscorers in 23 games across all competitions this season, where they have netted 52 goals - figures that indicate how the goals have come from all areas of the pitch with no target man down the middle.

With speculation growing surrounding a potential switch for Ferran Torres to Barcelona in January, Manchester City could be looking to recruit a world-class replacement at the earliest in their bid to retain the Premier League title and finally break their Champions League duck in May.

According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, whose information has been translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City are now the favourites to sign Vlahovic from Fiorentina, with Tottenham 'slipping away' from the race to add the Serbia international to their ranks.

It has been mentioned that the Etihad club are 'gathering more and more information' on the 21-year-old ahead of the January transfer window, which could mean that City are looking to launch a serious bid for the star forward next month.

Moreover, it has been suggested Manchester City could 'shower millions on the table' as they hunt for a top striker to fill the void left by Aguero's absence down the middle to compete on all fronts.

It remains to be seen if Fiorentina hold out till the summer for a larger fee with several elite sides across Europe interested in signing Vlahovic,  who has less than two years left on his contract.

This article first appeared on FanNation City Xtra and was syndicated with permission.

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