Speaking recently on the Why Always Us? podcast, The Athletic’s Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee recently revealed the transfer budget Pep Guardiola will be given to spend over the summer.
Following a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, City’s last remaining chance to pick up more silverware this season rests on the club’s Champions League campaign, set to resume with the second leg of their round of 16 fixture against Real Madrid on 7 August.
The FA Cup defeat comes after Liverpool ended the club’s two-year reign as Premier League champions, and, although Guardiola’s side have picked up the Community Shield and League Cup this term, failure to win the FA Cup, Premier League or Champions League will almost certainly be considered a failure by a team who won a domestic quadruple in the 2018/19 season.
As such, it has been widely discussed in which areas of the pitch City need to strengthen over the coming transfer window, and, in recent comments made while on the Why Always Us? podcast, Sam Lee revealed the staggering figure City are prepared to spend this summer in order to challenge for the Premier League title once again next season.
He said: “I always say that no matter how much we talk about City’s issues, they are relative – and they’re still a really good side. They just need a couple of tweaks. But I’ve heard a crazy figure that City are willing to spend this summer – £300 million.
“Obviously that would include player sales as well, and obviously they got quite a bit for [Leroy] Sane already. I don’t know if that’s going to include Gabriel Jesus, for example, who might get similar [money to] Sane or more.”
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As such, should City spend anywhere near the £300 million that Lee states this summer, particularly in a transfer market that has been impacted by the global pandemic, it is not very difficult at all to imagine them challenging Liverpool for the Premier League title once again next season.