It has been reported that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is an admirer of a midfielder who could bolster their side in the summer.

On the surface, some would argue that City are not particularly in need of reinforcements in the middle of the park.

Most teams around the world would kill to have midfielders like Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva at their disposal.

However, Bernardo in particular has been linked with an exit in the summer, with Real Madrid reported to be leading the race to sign him, as per a report on Sunday.

As for Rodri, he is starting to look visibly exhausted in games and Manchester City would not like to risk his long-term fitness by overplaying him.

Yves Bissouma rightly claimed that the Sky Blues do not look like the same team in the Spaniard’s absence.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola wants £103 million midfielder

However, unlike several other midfielders who are as important to their team as Rodri is, he barely gets a rest.

One would not be surprised if Guardiola is wary of resting City’s number 16 as he would not want to put his team’s title hopes in jeopardy.

While Rodri would perhaps appreciate being viewed as he quite possibly is, that could affect his longevity in the game.

A prime example of a defensive midfielder who became a shell of himself, potentially due to being overplayed was former Liverpool anchor Fabinho.

At one point, the Brazilian was considered the best number six in the world.

But during the 2022/2023 season, the 30-year-old was arguably the Reds’ biggest underperformer and the summer after, he headed to Al-Ittihad.

Now, a report by GiveMeSport has stated that Pep Guardiola “likes” Joao Neves as one of the midfield targets Manchester City could bring in.

The other names alongside the Benfica gem include Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes, who the Catalan is also believed to be rate highly and would be happy if they signed for the club.

As per the report, it seems like Manchester City have given Pep Guardiola the “green light” to spend as much as £200 million to overhaul the Manchester City squad, with Joao Neves perhaps being in his summer wish list.

The 19-year-old, who is believed to have a £103 million release clause has emerged as one of the most sought-after holding midfielders in the game.

So much so that in November, Bernardo Silva admitted that if he could try to put in a word to bring his countryman to City, he would.

Joao Neves could become a superstar under Pep Guardiola

If Manchester City do end up signing Joao Neves, his game could reach unforeseen heights under Pep Guardiola.

The Portuguese international is a masterful technician, renowned for his press resistance, ability to break the lines and beat the press with his elegant dribbling.

Despite being quite diminutive in size, Neves does not shy away from a crunching tackle and can cover plenty of ground with ease.

However, the step-up from the Portuguese top-flight to the Premier League is massive for any player, regardless of how talented they are.

But if Joao Neves signed for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola could turn him into a superstar over time, just like he did with Rodri, who was not a readymade world-class player when he joined the club in 2019.

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