Manchester City expect only 'one or two' signings with no big spending planned, says Pep Guardiola

City invested approximately £260m in their squad last year before winning the Premier League title

Pep Guardiola does not expect a summer of heavy spending at Manchester City (Getty)

Pep Guardiola does not expect Manchester City to spend heavily in this summer’s transfer market, with just “one or two” new arrivals pencilled in at the Etihad.

The Premier League champions have invested approximately £260m in their playing squad over the last 12 months with Guardiola revamping his defence in particular.

Goalkeeper Ederson and defenders Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo all arrived alongside forward Bernardo Silva last summer. Centre-back Aymeric Laporte, a club record signing at £57m, followed in January.

City are expected to add a holding midfielder to their ranks to replace the departing Yaya Touré and will also pursue a wide forward, with Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez considered an option.

Guardiola, however, has ruled out wholesale changes on a par with last summer’s transfer business.

“Yaya is leaving so we have to replace him, and maybe another one,” the City manager told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “One or two more, no more. Maybe people don’t believe me, but we don’t have the money to invest £300m every season.

“We invested a lot of money and will invest less in the future, because instead of doing it in two or three transfer windows, we did it in one. We needed it for the age [of the squad].

“The fundamental success of this season is the quality of the players. People say you won because you invest a lot, they are right.”

When asked to identify the areas of his team he will look to strengthen, Guardiola said: “Maybe in front, but I don’t know. We have to think and talk more with Txiki [Begiristain, the director of football] and the staff.

“It’s four competitions, we need new faces to compete with the guys from this season.”

Sunday’s late victory at Southampton meant Guardiola saw his side finish their triumphant Premier League season with an unprecedented 100 points – 19 clear of runners-up Manchester United.

The Catalan was understandably delighted with his side’s record-breaking campaign but he believes it will be “impossible” for City to be quite so dominant again next year.

“At Barcelona and Bayern Munich, people expect you to win, but at Manchester City, you never know,” he said.

“We don’t have history behind us like other important teams and there are five or six really tough teams at the top.

“When you look at the distance of the gap we won with and think about doing that again, it will be impossible.

“You think about 25 points to Liverpool, and all the other clubs, it’s unreal. And the weather conditions, the amount of games, it’s quite different to Germany and Spain.”