Pep
Pep Guardiola could sign Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi once the Spaniard becomes Manchester City’s new manager in July. Reuters/Michaela Rehle

Pep Guardiola’s arrival to Manchester City at the end of the season to replace Manuel Pellegrini could mean marquee transfer signings of the best football players in the world.

Man City overshadowed the winter transfer deadline day after they announced that Guardiola, the current manager of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, will take over as the new boss at Etihad Stadium in July. Many believe that the Spaniard pulling the strings in City offers a better future for the club. What City fans are intrigued about is Guardiola’s magnet-like ability to attract the best players in the sport like Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, Barcelona star Lionel Messi, and Everton defender John Stones.

Like us on Facebook

According to BBC, there are rumours that Guardiola could lure Pogba and Messi to play in England, which could be “scary for the league.” The rumours compiled by BBC also revealed that the 45-year-old Spaniard will attempt to spend £50m to sign Stones from Everton.

However, there is a growing sense that luring Messi to play for a Premier League club is far-fetched, considering the success the Argentine international is experiencing in Barcelona, alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez. According to Danny Murphy of the BBC, it will all be up to Messi if he wants to leave Camp Nou and join Man City.

“City would have to pay huge money to get him, of course, but if he wants to go, he will go,” Murphy wrote. “All he has to do is dig in his heels.”

Meanwhile, Michael Butler of The Guardian reported that first in Guardiola’s list of transfer signings this summer would be Pogba, but the Spaniard is also expected to raid the Reds of a playmaker in Thiago Alcantara.

“Thiago Alcântara has been heavily linked with a departure to Manchester: the Italy-born playmaker is a favourite of Guardiola, who signed him from Barcelona in 2013,” Butler noted.

RELATED STORIES