Manchester City will try to reignite their season by swooping for up to three players in next month's transfer window, but Pep Guardiola fears the club will not get value for money.
The ailing Premier League champions want a central midfielder, a full back and a forward. And Guardiola, whose side face Aston Villa on Saturday after one win in their last 11 games, said: 'We're not a big fan of that (window) but the circumstances of this season have been special. We've spoken about doing something.
'In winter, it's if we really need it, or if we can really find something. It is not easy to do. Clubs don't want to sell, and players are so expensive. It depends on the market, we'll see.'
Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi are high on City's list of targets. No 6 seems the ideal area for City to strengthen, with Rodri out for likely the season after sustaining an ACL injury earlier this campaign.
Mateo Kovacic has looked solid when deputising, but a natural replacement would be preferred with the issues clear to see when the former Chelsea star has also been missing.
Guardiola will hope that reinforcements will help improve a leaky defence which has conceded 23 goals in 16 games so far this season - more than eight of the top 10 in the Premier League.
Guimaraes is Newcastle captain but has admirers from a number of other teams. he has at times looked wasted in a defensive midfield role, but is used to playing there in the north East.
Zubamendi, meanwhile, has been linked for a number of months. The Spaniard - Rodri's understudy in Spain's Euro 2024 win - was set to join Liverpool in the summer but changed his mind last minute.
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