Manchester City have reportedly joined the transfer race for highly-rated Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Oscar Gloukh.
Pep Guardiola will hope to further strengthen his squad over the summer transfer window after guiding the Sky Blues to a historic treble last season, something the Spanish tactician is seemingly mastering with Mateo Kovacic already signed and Josko Gvardiol Etihad bound. However, with Ilkay Gundogan departing on a free transfer, he wants to bring in another central midfielder.
According to The Guardian, Manchester City are among a host of top clubs tracking RB Salzburg’s teenage sensation Oscar Gloukh. The report states the Sky Blues, along with Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham as the clubs wanting to secure the central midfielder’s signature, stating that the player would ‘prefer’ to join an English or Spanish side.
Barcelona came close to signing Gloukh when he left Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv for RB Salzburg in January, while there is interest from Villarreal, AC Milan and AS Monaco. Gloukh, 19, caught the eye with his performances with Salzburg, registering two goals and an assist in 15 league appearances. He was a part of the Israeli side that lost 3-0 to England in the Under-21 European Championships semi-finals on Wednesday.
Oscar Gloukh to Manchester City—Should they make a move?
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had made Declan Rice a top midfield target but due to West Ham asking for an exorbitant fee in the north of £100m, the treble-winners moved away from a potential deal. As things stand, Arsenal are close to wrapping up the £105m signing of Rice.
This has left Guardiola to look elsewhere as he hopes to bring in another midfielder after the acquisition of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. The Spanish tactician can do with a player of Oscar Gloukh’s qualities amid uncertainty surrounding the futures of Bernardo Silva and Kalvin Phillips.
Gloukh has shown glimpses of what he can do in the Austrian Bundesliga and for Israel in the ongoing Under-21 European Championships. He scored Israel’s winning penalty in the quarter-final shootout victory over co-hosts Georgia at the Under-21 Championships last weekend to set up a semi-final encounter with England. However, Gloukh and Israel were dumped out of the competition by the young Three Lions on Wednesday.
Primarily an attacking midfielder, Gloukh can also play in a box-to-box role and that should help Man City. For City, the Israeli international is an exciting prospect when taking into consideration Guardiola’s track record of honing young talents and turning them into world-beaters.
The Premier League champions are open to selling Bernardo Silva this summer, with the Portuguese star attracting interest from Saudi Arabian clubs as well as Barcelona and PSG. He is likely to depart for a new challenge after a trophy-laden six years at the Etihad Stadium. Silva’s exit could allow for a new face to flourish in his place alongside Kovacic and Rodri in City’s engine room, with Gloukh possessing qualities to be a perfect heir to the 28-year-old.
With that being said, City must table a bid for Gloukh, who seems to have a bright future ahead of him.