Reports have surfaced linking Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund’s 22-year-old midfield ace, Julian Weigl. The Citizens are preparing to strengthen their squad in the following transfer window and a midfielder seems to be at the top of their shopping list. Pep Guardiola has already sent his scouts to witness the player in action.
Weigl is an established Dortmund starter even at such a young age of just 22. He broke into regular Bundesliga action when his former teammate Ilkay Gundogan and Nuri Sahin was suffering a stint on the sidelines with injuries in the 2014/15 season.
Weigl’s name was one of the farthest choices amongst a host of proven midfielders and yet the German sensation pushed through to make it against elite competition. With 117 total appearances for BVB, Weigl has grown into a solid defensive midfielder with top-pedigree technical abilities.
The former 1860 Munich player has already been capped at international level 5 times for the Germany senior team and all around 16 times for the youth ranks. He is expected to feature for the national side in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Manchester City would like nothing better than to sign him up before the world event.
We have seen countless times – a player’s value rises meteorically after his success on the world stage, of which Alexis Sanchez, Luis Suarez, Mesut Ozil and James Rodriguez are prime examples. It is quite clear that Pep is still not happy with the squad that he has been allowed to work with so far and Weigl will come a long way in satisfying the Spaniard.
The former Barcelona head coach went so far as to admit that winning a quadruple is almost impossible without a squad of at least 32 players. While planning an overhaul of every European talent might not be possible, the City board has been accommodating of the 47-year-old’s wishes.
The £40m asking price for Weigl might just be a pocket pincher for a squad whose defence alone is worth over £250m. More so, the 22-year-old will be inclined to make a move to a side who are dominating the Premier League with a 16-point lead at the top and reunited with Gundogan at the heart of the park.
Manchester City’s season has been remanent of a dream with the club still alive in all four competitions. However, if Weigl does arrive at Etihad would that mark the exit of any of the current City players? Fernandinho has been a key figure this season and is almost irreplaceable for Pep.
The youngster might be in the danger of falling into a rotational role and therefore should think long and hard before boarding the flight to Manchester.
