Erling Haaland & Harry Kane Prime Targets for Man City, Pep Guardiola Set to Make Bids Next Year

Manchester City have been in hot pursuit of both England skipper Harry Kane and Norway phenomenon Erling Haaland since last year. Their manager Pep Guardiola is reportedly eager to bring them to the Etihad to fill a glaring hole in the Citizens’ attack up front, as they don't have a world-class striker in their arsenal.

English powerhouse Manchester City are currently the table toppers in the Premier League after extending their winning streak to nine matches with their comprehensive 6-3 victory over Leicester City on 26 December.

Despite their current undefeated run, head coach Pep Guardiola, regarded as one of the smartest football tacticians on the planet, is still scouting for players to strengthen his squad, with Tottenham talisman Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland being his prime targets, Spanish media reported.

Besides, the recent COVID-19 outbreak within several English clubs has forced many managers to alter their plans, especially Man United's Ralf Rangnick and Guardiola.

Both these men don't want to take any chances in such a scenario and are desperate to have greater depth in their respective teams as they realise that staying on top won't be easy without their best players.

For more than a decade, Argentine star Sergio Aguero was the face of City's attack. But after he departed for Barcelona before subsequently retiring from the sport earlier this month due to heart problems, Guardiola has been on the hunt for a charismatic, top quality forward who could fill the void left by him.

With Ferran Torres, who's set to move to Barcelona in January, City's attacking options will dwindle further and Guardiola apparently is keeping a close watch on Haaland, with the rising Dortmund forward also having been linked to a switch to Real Madrid and the Red Devils.

Meanwhile, Guardiola remained undeterred in his bid to land Kane in Manchester despite suffering multiple setbacks during the summer, sports publication Marca claimed.

While City made multiple attempts to secure the 28-year-old superstar's signature, especially in August, all of their offers were rebuffed by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who remained resolute in his opposition to a deal for Kane.

Kane, who was Premier League's top goal scorer last season, has struggled for goals in Tottenham's current campaign. But his failure to light up England's top flight hasn't dimmed his reputation in the eyes of Guardiola, who still rates him extremely highly.

As per the media outlet, the 50-year-old manager is certain to make another bid for Kane next year.

Besides Haaland and Kane, Guardiola has been following Italian side Fiorentina’s frontman Dusan Vlahovic very closely, reports in the country’s media have said.

The Serbian international is currently the Serie A’s leading scorer with 16 goals in 19 appearances in the ongoing 2021-22 season.

But Guardiola’s plans to have him on his side could hit a major hurdle in the form of Arsenal and Tottenham, two other clubs who are interested in signing the 21-year-old footballer.