Man City will follow Omar Berrada transfer message in January window

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The last time Manchester City didn't win the league, it was in part explained by a failing in the transfer market. Vincent Kompany decided to leave after winning a domestic clean sweep in 2019 to pursue his coaching ambitions and the Blues were stunned when they approached Leicester for Harry Maguire and were told his asking price was £80m - less than half of what had been floated.

City refused to pay having also thought £75m was too much for Virgil Van Dijk 18 months earlier, and then when Aymeric Laporte suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the end of August that was effectively the end of City's title challenge.

That was only the case though because John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi were not in form, and because Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool were unstoppable.

City may have proven that their squad was big enough as well as good enough had Laporte not suffered a long-term injury that couldn't have been foreseen, or they could have been blown away by Liverpool regardless. READ MORE: £100m superstar, Europe's next big thing - City's next transfer options READ MORE: Man City stars welcome fresh update with North Stand 'progressing at pace' Nevertheless, it put more pressure on the 2020 window and the importance of finding the correct replacement for Kompany.