Manchester City reportedly hold an interest in Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, and the England international could form a superb partnership with Phil Foden in Pep Guardiola’s side.
What’s the word?
According to 90min, the Premier League champions have a long-standing interest in the 21-year-old and could be given the green light to sign him, should he fail to agree a new contract with the Gunners, as his current deal at the Emirates Stadium is set to expire in 2024.
Mikel Arteta’s side are understandably keen to tie him down for the long-term future and would be extremely reticent to sell him to their main title rivals this season, but they may be forced to cash in if a new contract cannot be agreed upon.
Imagine him and Foden
Like Foden, Saka was one of the stars for England at the World Cup as they reached the quarter-finals in Qatar.
WhoScored ranked the Arsenal man as the top performer in Gareth Southgate’s squad as he scored three goals in four appearances, averaging a superb 7.68 rating for his performances.
He has also enjoyed an incredible start to the season for the Gunners and has been one of the main reasons behind their rise to the top of the Premier League table, contributing four goals and six assists in 14 appearances and averaging a superb 7.35 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
Danny Murphy was full of praise for Saka and Arsenal team-mate Gabriel Martinelli on Match of the Day 2 after they tormented Liverpool’s defence in their 3-2 triumph over Jurgen Klopp’s side earlier in the season.
The BBC pundit said of the Gunners duo: “The two young lads playing left and right for them would be giving any defences in Europe or world football a problem. Great players can force teams into mistakes.
“They’re relentless. They’re so direct and so full of confidence at the moment.”
The prospect of having Saka and Foden (Premier League Young Player of the Season for the last two campaigns) on either wing in a Manchester City shirt for potentially the next decade is surely an exciting one for Guardiola, as they are clearly both extremely talented youngsters who are already capable of dominating on the world stage.
Therefore, Txiki Begiristain should do all that he can to try and bring Saka to the Etihad Stadium in 2023.