Manchester City step up interest in signing 29-year-old star who could compete with Erling Haaland: Reports

Manchester City are reportedly searching for a player who can play as second fiddle to Erling Haaland to fill up the space left by Julian Alvarez, and they’ve identified Celtic’s ace Kyogo Furuhashi for the role.

The departure of Julian Alvarez from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid left Pep Guardiola without a backup striker for Haaland.

The Norway international leading the goalscoring charts in the Premier League this season, having scored nine goals in five matches. While he is presently in a scintillating run of form, the club’s reliance on him has been obvious.

According to Fichajes, Manchester City have stepped up their interest in Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi as they sent scouts to watch his performance in Celtic’s recent Champions League game against Slovan Bratislava.

Furuhashi emerged as a target for City during the summer transfer window Although a move ultimately did not materialize, the Cityzens have continued to closely monitor his development.

The 29-year-old is one of the most lethal forwards in the Scottish Premier League and Europe at the moment. Since joining Celtic in 2021, he has scored 75 goals and provided 16 assists in 139 appearances across competitions. He has also won a plethora of trophies with the Scottish club, including three Scottish Premiership titles and two Scottish Cups.

Furthermore, Furuhashi won the Golden Boot in the Scottish Premiership in the 2022-23 season, scoring 27 goals. Interestingly, he scored against City in the preseason, as Celtic won 4-3 in North Carolina.

Claudio Echeverri will return to Manchester City in January amid interest from River Plate - Reports

Argentina midfielder Claudio Echeverri will return to Manchester City in January 2025 despite River Plate wanting to keep the player. Echeverri joined City from his boyhood club River Plate in January 2024 but was immediately loaned back to the Argentine club till December 2024.

River Plate, however, want to keep their academy player at the club beyond the agreed time but City want their player back in January.

According to TNT Sports Argentina, Manchester City will not budge on the transfer terms and will demand that he return to the Etihad. The general secretary of the Argentine club, Stefano Di Carlo, also shed light on the issue, saying that the reigning Premier League champions want the 18-year-old to return to the Etihad.