‘Would be a fantastic signing’, ‘Better than Rice’ – Man City fans react as Guardiola eyes former Man United target as Potential Gundogan Replacement

Manchester City fans have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relays a report that claims Pep Guardiola is mulling over a move for Frenkie de Jong following their decision to abandon the chase for West Ham United’s Declan Rice.

Manchester City ended their pursuit of West Ham’s Declan Rice after Arsenal returned with a bid of £105m and are now looking for an alternative to plug the hole in midfield.

De Jong was previously chased by Manchester United who desperately attempted to lure the Dutchman to Old Trafford for the entirety of last year’s summer transfer window before conceding defeat as he opted to remain in Spain.

However, in a surprising twist, Manchester City have reportedly joined in the race to sign him. United would be furious if they were beaten to the mark by their rivals.

According to a report in The Sun, Pep Guardiola is keen on signing the Barcelona star. But the report claims that Barcelona will want atleast £90m that they were willing to offer West Ham for Declan Rice.

This strategic shift, as reported by the Sun, suggests a strong intention by City to find a suitable replacement for Ilkay Gundogan who recently transferred to Camp Nou.

Guardiola is apparently a huge admirer of De Jong and retains great interest in the midfielder after previously being unsuccessful when he tried to do a deal four years ago.

The report shared on Twitter gathered a number of replies from a wide range of Man City supporters.

Now that would be a signing.

— KR Motswiane (@KRMotswiane) July 2, 2023

@RemiYusuf14: “wouldn’t mind that.”

@kosisochukwu29: “Perfect signing.”

@vc_Kwesi: “I wanted this move long ago… He will fit in the midfield perfectly”

@mercutio447: “By far best possible replacement for Gundogan. Much better and much more talented than Rice as well..”

@hound4321: “This would be a fantastic signing”

@CityzenAmerica: “I know it’s the Sun, so it’s not true. But my God he’d be perfect. Better than Rice”

@tmenees34: “Think this would be a fantastic fit, but £90m is again too high. Cancelo + 20-30m would be ideal since we probably won’t get what Cancelo is actually worth in the market..”

@Asto19744: “Cancelo + £45m will be an excellent deal”