Pep Guardiola keen to avoid ‘difficult’ transfer task after Man City lose ‘incredible players’

The Premier League champions have brought in Mateo Kovacic as a replacement for Ilkay Gundogan but further first-team alternatives could prove too costly to sign

(AFP via Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola has vowed to do everything in his power to make sure Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva stay at Manchester City as he concluded it would be very difficult and expensive to replace both.

Walker, who only has one year left on his contract, has attracted the attention of Bayern Munich while Silva, a long-term target of Barcelona, has had an offer to join the Saudi Arabian Pro-League.

But Guardiola, who has already lost Riyad Mahrez to Saudi Arabia and captain Ilkay Gundogan, believes it would cost a fortune to find successors to Walker and Silva.

“They are so important players for us, we are going to do everything,” he said. “It’s not like Gundogan where he finished a contract. We want him to stay because he wants to stay because they want to stay.

“We will do everything because to replace these two players is so difficult. We lost two incredible players for us in Ilkay and Riyad for us who were massively important for us in big important games with goals and assists. To lose Kyle and Bernardo would be so difficult, that is why we are going to do everything to keep them.”

City have brought in Mateo Kovacic to take over from Gundogan in midfield and are close to completing a £77 million deal for defender Josko Gvardiol but Guardiola is conscious his transfer budget will be depleted if he has to get players of the calibre of Walker and Silva to take their places.

“When we lose those players we have to go to the market for these players and they cost more than £50 million,” the City manager said. “We need that money to reimburse on other players to make the team as strong as possible to defend the crowns that we won and win games for our people.”

Guardiola hopes the transfer to bring in the Croatia international Gvardiol from RB Leipzig will be completed on Friday or Saturday.

“He’s doing a medical test, everyone knows he is here and hopefully we can finish the deal in the next hours,” he said.

(AP)

Guardiola has also brought Juanma Lillo back to the Etihad Stadium and explained: “Juanma is the best assistant you can find. You have to find people in the bad moments. Juanma, beyond his knowledge of football, is a massive human being.”

City face Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday when Declan Rice is likely to make his Gunners debut. The former West Ham captain chose to join Arsenal rather than City in a £105 million deal.

“All the best,” added Guardiola. “He’s a really important player. He’s a really nice guy and for the national team, is and will be important. Arsenal bought an incredible player.”