After Haaland heroics, Man City want 34-goal Napoli pair Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia

Manchester City have a 39-goal striker but they still want Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, which feels like cheating.

GVARD OF HONOUR
They might have all changed their minds after watching Josko Gvardiol get schooled by the ridiculous Erling Haaland on Tuesday night but the Croatian is a big target for many Premier League clubs this summer, with his almost-namesake Pep Guardiola said by Fabrizio Romano to ‘really appreciate’ the RB Leipzig man.

But they face competition from Chelsea – who are trying to hoover up all the young defenders – and Liverpool, who need a short-term partner and long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk.

OSIMHEN WANTED TOO
It seems barely credible but Manchester City are said to be interested in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, though Ben Jacobs does say in his Caught Offside column that their interest is ‘less developed’ than that of Chelsea or Manchester United. Is that because they already have a 39-goal striker in March, by any chance?

Jacobs says that Osimhen ‘is in no rush to leave Napoli’ but the club are more likely to sell him than Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is also ‘drawing attention’ from City and Newcastle. Which really does not seem fair.

TIERNEY PRICE REVEALED
Also in Jacobs’ column is the news that Arsenal are willing to sell full-back Kieran Tierney, who has started just four Premier League games this season after the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

“Tierney held face-to-face talks with Arteta to better understand his future and was encouraged to fight for his place. So an exit is not guaranteed. Even Arteta is still undecided whether to let him go, but it will also come down to whether Tierney is satisfied to be a squad player,” Jacobs said.

“Arsenal would demand a fee in excess of the £25m they paid Celtic in 2019. £35-40m is probably the starting point, especially given Tierney is healthily contracted until 2026. Let’s not forget he was Real Madrid-linked for £50m only a year ago.”

Newcastle are said to hold ‘genuine interest’ in Tierney as they look for an upgrade on Dan Burn, though Villa and Monaco are also mentioned as potential suitors.

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