Manchester City are reportedly considering making an offer for Wilfried Bony in the New Year, although the striker won’t come cheap.
The Ivory Coast ace has established himself as one of the best forwards in England, and his record of 20 Premier League goals in the 2014 calendar year is bettered by none. That some of these have come against the better teams in the division, including City, Arsenal and Liverpool, is all the more impressive, and his goal also knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup last term.
Recognising that the 26-year-old is likely to draw interest from a number of rival clubs in the coming weeks and months, Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins managed to persuade him to sign a new contract in November which tied him to the club until 2018. More significantly, this deal removed a previous clause which would have allowed him to move on for £19million.
Now, the Liberty Stadium club are able to name their price for a player they signed from Vitesse Arnhem for £12million in July 2013. This could prove particularly beneficial over the course of the next four weeks, with reports suggesting Manchester City are considering making a bid for his signature. Indeed, Txiki Begiristain, their director of football, was in attendance at Anfield on Monday night to watch the striker produce a below-par performance as the Swans lost 4-1 to Liverpool.
The Telegraph go as far as to state Manuel Pellegrini’s side have already made enquiries about Bony, who the tabloid believe could cost them as much as £30million. This is a price the champions could likely afford, but they may prefer to wait until the end of the season to make their move as the Ivorian will miss a chunk of the current campaign when he features in the African Cup of Nations.
Yet on the other hand, Bony would be back in time for the resumption of the UEFA Champions League, in which City face the daunting task of taking on Barcelona over two legs in the last-16. Pellegrini will expect star striker Sergio Aguero to be back in contention by this time, but the Argentine isn’t the only striker to suffer injuries this term as Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic have also struggled.
Bony, who was rejected by Liverpool as a 17-year-old, has made no secret of his desire to play for a Champions League club. Speaking to The Mirror last month, he said: “For sure, I want to play in that. If you score goals, always the bigger teams will look at you. Yes, one day I would love to play in the Champions League. That is what I am fighting for in my career.”
Would Bony be an ideal fit for City, and how much should Swansea ask for him? Let us know what you think by joining in the discussion below.
