Reports have surfaced in recent times linking Manchester City to AS Monaco’s winger, Thomas Lemar. The 22-year-old has been on Liverpool and Arsenal’s books for quite some time but Pep Guardiola wants to make the shock swoop ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
The Spaniard has already spent an obscene amount of money to set up a title-winning squad ever since his appointment in 2016.
He missed out on the signature of Alexis Sanchez whose demands were met by the bitter rivals, Manchester United themselves in the January transfer window.
Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez also failed to secure a move to the Etihad due to the high asking price from the Foxes. It is quite clear as what Pep’s priority is for the next transfer window with just Bernardo Silva as the rotational option in the wing department.
Thomas Lemar is a promising talent who has shown signs of future stardom in his time with the Ligue 1 champions. The 22-year-old is one of the key members in the Monaco squad and was greatly influential in the title-winning 2016/17 season.
His burst of pace paired with a deft touch on the ball makes him one of the most dangerous players to take on the wing position. A dominant left-foot helps him deliver the appetizing balls into the penalty box and helps him take on players with the low centre of gravity that he already possesses.
Arsene Wenger ideally sees him as a more central option but Lemar’s versatility is short of none. Guardiola has managed to uplift the performances of almost every player in the City squad this season, especially Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Fabian Delph.
He will be able to get the best out of Lemar within the attacking style of play that he has always implemented into his teams. The final third of Gabriel Jesus, Sane and Lemar will be a force to be reckoned with and Pep should go forward with the transfer as soon as possible.
It would be highly beneficial to note that Lemar’s £90m value will diminish significantly as he enters the final 2 years of his contract with Monaco.
