Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is reportedly set to target Hector Bellerín, Leonardo Bonucci, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang next summer as the English Premier League side is ready to provide him a £150 million transfer kitty to further boost the team's roster.
Mirror reported that the 45-year-old Spanish manager is convinced that the current Premier League leaders still need more reinforcement if they want to win titles in the coming seasons. He is said to be "eyeing striker Aubameyang and defenders Bellerín and Bonucci" at the end of the season.
City is reportedly prepared to support its head coach with a £150 million budget when the time comes after Guardiola spent £175 million in the recent summer transfer window acquiring the likes of Claudio Bravo, John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, and Nolito.
The report noted that 21-year-old Arsenal right back Bellerín, rated at £40 million by the Gunners, is "a player Guardiola covets" while the Spaniard is also keen on acquiring £60 million-rated Bonucci, one-third of the fabled Juventus and Italian national team backfield together with Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.
Borussia Dortmund striker Aubameyang has a £50 million release clause, which puts the total expense to £150 million if Guardiola successfully gets his dream players.
At the moment, Guardiola only has Sergio Agüero and Kelechi Iheanacho as his options at center-forward and the squad will be compromised if either of the two will be suspended or injured. Wilfried Bony used to be the team's third striker, but he was recently loaned out to Stoke City.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich champion coach is having doubts about the future of team captain Vincent Kompany, who is chronically sideline by injuries, and the advancing age of regular starters Gael Clichy, Aleksandar Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta, which is why he is still searching for more defenders for the future, as per Caught Offside.
However, Bellerín, Bonucci, and Aubameyang will be hard to snatch from their current teams as they are all key players with their respective sides.
City is currently at the top of the Premier League table with 18 points. They are only one point ahead of second-running squad Tottenham Hotspur, who inflicted them their first defeat in the English top flight last Sunday, 0-2.
