Who could City target this summer with the Paqueta move seemingly off?

With the news breaking yesterday that Lucas Paqueta has been charged by the FA for allegedly breaching betting rules, any potential move from Manchester City for the Brazilian international appears off. If that proves to be the case, the champions are likely to move on to other targets in the summer transfer window.

It will be interesting to see who City target in the likelihood that any move for Paqueta is now on the backburner. Here are three players Manchester City may target instead of Lucas Paqueta.

Bruno Guimaraes

A report from Ben Jacobs, which was relayed by Mark Brus for caughtoffside.com, indicates that Manchester City and Arsenal are both keen to sign Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. Furthermore, they further report that Manchester City are more active in their pursuit of Guimaraes than Arsenal. It is also reported that Newcastle are unlikely to accept any offer under the £100 million release clause in the contract of Guimaraes.

The Brazilian international appears to be a readymade player for Pep Guardiola’s squad. He would be able to provide instant support for Rodri if he were to arrive at the Etihad. Guimaraes could also potentially form a dynamic midfield partnership with City’s midfield general.

While Guimaraes isn’t the same type of player to Paqueta, he now appears to be an option Manchester City will pursue this summer.

Dani Olmo

A report from Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo indicates that Manchester City has an interest in signing RB Leipzig star Dani Olmo. It is also included in Mundo Deportivo’s report that Manchester City has already met with the representatives of Olmo.

Dani Olmo does appear to be one player who could land at the Etihad this summer. With his versatility to play across City’s attack, he does appear appear suited to life at the world champions. His pedigree and talent aren’t in question. However, there are question marks over his durability. Olmo has had two injury interrupted seasons over the past two years for RB Leipzig. That appears to be the major concern with any move for the Spanish international.

Fabrizio Romano has previously reported that there is also a €60 million release clause in Dani Olmo’s contract with RB Leipzig. That would make any deal a simple one to complete if Manchester City did move for the RB Leipzig star.

Jamal Musiala

Jacob Steinberg has previously reported for the Guardian that one of Manchester City’s top targets this summer is Jamal Musiala. Furthermore, Steinberg reports that Manchester City is at the front of the queue if Musiala seeks to leave Bayern this summer. He also reports that Bayern Munich will not want to lose the German international this summer.

Of all of the players that City could target this summer a move, Musiala appears the least likely to come off. He is a key piece of Bayern’s squad, and the Bundesliga giants would command a sizable fee to sell Musiala.

As a player, Musiala is the right age to come into Pep Guardiola’s squad. With his immense talent and proven pedigree, he could no doubt find a role in City’s squad. The idea of Musiala, De Bruyne, and Foden in City’s midfield would be a tantalising prospect. The impediment would be Bayern Munich’s desire to sell one of their prized assets.

Summary

With a potential Manchester City move for Lucas Paqueta, seemingly off there does appear to be options for City to pursue this summer. The champions are a club that always have multiple targets they monitor ahead of the transfer window. There is no shortage of players City can shift their attention to this summer. It will be interesting to see who they move for now that it appears that any move for Paqueta appears unlikely.