According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester city have added Stade Rennais’ talented winger Jeremy Doku to their list of wingers to potential replace Riyad Mahrez.
The Belgian international is now one of the priority names being considered by The Citizens, alongside Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise- who is estimated to cost upwards of £50m if Palace were to sanction a move. However, this a fee which City are unwilling to pay for the France youth international, as per The Athletic.
As for Doku, the 21-year-old currently holds a market value of €28m, as estimated by Transfermarkt, and comes off the back of a season in which he has racked up six goals and two assists in 29 Ligue 1 appearances, 13 of which were starts. Furthermore, since making a €26m move to Stade Rennais from boyhood side Anderlecht in 2020, the exciting winger has caught the eye with his explosive speed and exceptional dribbling ability, however, has faced significant injury issues- picking up eight separate injuries over the past two years, limiting him to just four starts in the 2021/22 campaign.
The Sky Blues interest in both Doku and Olise comes following the €35m sale of Mahrez to Al Ahli- who has signed onto a four-year deal with the Saudi Arabian side, with wages reportedly worth around £25m per year.
As a result of the move, The Athletic have previously reported that City are ‘stepping up’ plans to sign a new winger, whilst also ensuring they keep hold of Bernardo Silva- who has also been linked with a move to the Gulf State.
Pep Guardiola’s side are understood to be intent on not losing both Mahrez and Silva, but were believed to appreciate the Algerian was ready for a move away from Manchester, whilst they have now made it clear to the Portuguese international of his importance to the side heading into next season.
The treble winners will kick-off their season when they visit their former captain Vincent Kompany and his Burnley side at Turf Moor on Friday August 11, as head into the campaign looking to retain their Premier League title for a record fourth time in a row.
Travis Levison | Get Football
