Their own Bruno Fernandes: Man City readying bid to sign £51m "monster"

At times, it has appeared as though this season would be a complete catastrophe for Manchester City.

Now, having won four successive Premier League matches, they have second-placed Arsenal firmly in their sights, while the Sky Blues are also through to a third successive FA Cup Final, massive favourites to defeat Crystal Palace at Wembley in ten days’ time.

Nevertheless, Pep Guardiola will still want to oversee a major squad rebuild this summer, so does he have his eyes on one of the Premier League’s most outstanding players this season?

Manchester City’s number one midfield target

According to a report in Spain, Manchester City are plotting an offer of €60m (£51m) to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, claiming Guardiola ‘already has in mind’ how he would fit into his team.

Fabrizio Romano adds that Gibbs-White is one of Man City’s main “priority targets”, although the deal will not be easy, given that Forest “still hope to keep” hold of their star asset.

The 25-year-old joined Forest from Wolves for a reported £42.5m three summers ago, and his value has only increased since then, hence why Ciaran McCarthy of TeamTalk is reporting that he is valued at £100m by the Garibaldi Reds.

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So, would Gibbs-White be a good signing for the Citizens, and could he have a similar impact to that of a talismanic midfielder from across Manchester?

Man City’s answer to Bruno Fernandes

Given that Manchester United are currently 15th in the Premier League table, on course for their lowest finish since being relegated in 1974, Mark Critchley of The Athletic’s question is a valid one: where on earth would they be without Bruno Fernandes?

Well, in the relegation zone is the seemingly hyperbolic but possibly accurate answer because, as outlined by Jamie Jackson of the Guardian, Fernandes has been Man United’s most important player from the moment he first arrived, as outlined in the table below.

As the table notes, Fernandes has been directly involved in more than 35% of Man United’s 317 Premier League goals since his debut on 1 February 2020, underlining that he’s simply been a transformational player at Old Trafford.

So, could Gibbs-White have a similar impact at the Etihad? Well, let’s compare the duo to help find out, having been noted as similar players in the top-flight this season, among those in their position, as per FBref.

As the table highlights, Fernandes and Gibbs-White have recorded very similar statistics this season, with the Portuguese international predominantly coming out on top, albeit the Englishman has proved to be a more clinical finisher, while registering more goal-creating actions, as well as a higher percentage when it comes to passing and shots on target.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout praises Gibbs-White’s “versatility and quality”, while commentator Jamie Martin is impressed by his “superb ball-carrying”, adding that the midfielder is “constantly improving”. In the words of journalist Ahmed Yussuf, he is “a transition monster“.

As outlined by Zak Garner-Purkis of Forbes, Gibbs-White’s ‘exceptional performances’ have been key to Forest’s astronomical rise up the table this season, adding that it’s easy to understand why Man City are ‘eager to have him in their ranks’.

So, could he be making the move from the City Ground to Manchester City this summer?

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