Top five strikers Man City should target with Harry Kane off the market

The Tottenham Hotspur forward announced in a social media post that he will not move clubs this summer.

Manchester City’s plans to sign Harry Kane to bolster their attacking options have crashed. The striker has announced that he will not leave Tottenham Hotspur in the ongoing transfer window. The statement puts an end to months of speculation about Kane’s impending departure from the club. The last few weeks saw the player and the club at loggerheads as well, but the former has decided to end the conflict.

City, the defending league champions were looking at Kane as a replacement for Sergio Aguero. The Argentine left the club to join FC Barcelona at the end of last season. The Cityzens were planning to secure Kane’s signature, but signing Jack Grealish for £100m made it tougher. A deal could not materialize and the England captain has ended any hopes of a transfer in this window.

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Pep Guardiola needs a replacement to fill the void left by Aguero’s departure. With less than a week remaining before the transfer window shuts, it remains to be seen if City sign another striker or put their plans on hold until the January window.

Having said that, Man City should look at the following five strikers now that Kane is off the market for the foreseeable future:

5. Patrik Schick

Patrik Schick is in the form of his life and had a brilliant Euro 2020 campaign. The striker may be unpopular among Premier League fans, but he has immense potential. The 25-year-old scored five goals (joint-top) in as many games at the Euros, helping the Czech Republic reach the quarterfinals. 

He is playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga and could be available around for €25m. The center-forward has all the qualities to succeed and has yet to hit his peak. Schick is one of the few strikers who can solve Man City's goalscoring problems and is also a cheaper solution.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly decided to leave Juventus. His agent Jorge Mendes is working overtime to find a new club. The agent has offered the former Manchester United player to City who have rejected the €30m proposal. They are not willing to pay more than €15m for the Portuguese due to his high wages.

Manchester City could be a real possible destination for Ronaldo, one of the highest scorers in football history. A player of his ambition will not mind attracting the ire of MUFC fans considering the nature of the relationship. As for Pep Guardiola, he will add perhaps the biggest gem in a squad, which has world-class players in almost every position.

3. Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has established himself as a reliable frontman for Everton. He scored 21 goals and provided five assists during the 2020/21 season. As for the current campaign, he has already scored two goals in consecutive Premier League games. The 24-year-old is primed to make the next big transfer move.

MCFC will get a proven Premier League striker, who will not need any time to settle in. Furthermore, he has the aerial quality to dominate defenders in the box, in addition to clinical finishing. The striker is available for a transfer fee in the region of €45m.

2. Lautaro Martinez

Lautaro Martinez could be up for grabs since Inter Milan are willing sellers. The Serie A champions are entangled in financial troubles. They might want to keep a hold of Martinez after selling Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea FC for over £103m. 

However, the Argentine should be one of the main targets for Manchester City. They could engineer a move for him in the last week of August or in January 2022. The club will need to shell out €80m in order to sign the 24-year-old.

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1. Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland should be City's main target. One of the hottest strikers in Europe, the Norwegian has clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Man City lining up for him. Borussia Dortmund value him in excess of €160m, but his release clause of €70m can be trigger next summer.

A January move is in the offing for Haaland but there is a roadblock. The super-agent Mino Raiola is demanding a huge agent fee and wages for the striker. MCFC have a strict wage structure and it will be interesting to see if the parties can find a solution.

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