Six players Manchester City should sign in the January transfer window

Manchester City are the best in the business when it comes to squad planning, but they tend to make the vast majority of their signings over the summer when there is a wider range of players to choose from.

Although the club has made some clever January moves in the past, signing Shay Given, Wayne Bridge and Edin Dzeko in the winter, they have become more cautious since Pep Guardiola became coach. Nonetheless, City have still made some important acquisitions in recent years, snapping up Gabriel Jesus from Palmeiras in 2017 and Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Club in 2018 to fill gaps in the team.

But their shrewdest move of all was capturing Julian Alvarez from River Plate in 2022 for just £14 million ($18m), albeit they waited six months before bringing the forward into their squad.

Guardiola has tempered expectation ahead of this window, insisting he doesn't need any more players in his squad of world champions, unless there are outgoings. Kalvin Phillips is the most likely player to leave after being given scant opportunities, while Sergio Gomez could also depart in search of more playing time.

Even if Phillips does not find a new club, City clearly need some more back-up in midfield as they have become over-reliant on Rodri, losing all four matches that their Spanish lynchpin has missed this season. There is also the opportunity for them to capture some young talents before their rivals, just as they did with Alvarez.

GOAL looks at the players City should be targeting in January to make their all-conquering squad even better...