Manchester City boss seeks reunion with former star man

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged the club’s board to sign Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich this summer as he seeks a reunion with his compatriot, reports the Mail on Sunday. 

Guardiola is favouring quality over quantity in the transfer market after a hefty summer of spending last year. 

The City boss is looking to revamp his aging midfield and having worked with Thiago in the past for both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, has instructed the hierarchy to go all out to sign the Spaniard. 

He signed the 27-year-old for Bayern in 2013, when he was courted by Manchester United, but Thiago’s impact was minimised due to injury. 

Thiago, though, is under contract at Bayern until 2021, so it would take a hefty bid to convince the Bundesliga champions to sell the midfielder, even though he has made just 10 league starts this season. 

With Yaya Toure set to leave and Fernandinho and David Silva both over 30, Guardiola is aware he needs to bring in new central midfielders to keep the squad competitive. 

“Next season, David maybe will not play every game, that’s why the squad has to be big,” Guardiola is quoted as saying on Silva. 

City are close to securing the Premier League title after a 3-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday and they could be crowned champions today should Manchester United lose to West Brom in Sunday’s late kick off.