Manchester City will complete transfers before Club World Cup, says chairman
Manchester City ended the season this year without a trophy for the first time since 2016-17. PHOTO: REUTERS
MANCHESTER, England - Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has promised the club will be ready with a new squad in time for the Fifa Club World Cup and that their transfer moves will be very swift.
Premier League clubs agreed to open a pre-Club World Cup transfer window on June 1 for 10 days to allow teams to sign players before the tournament.
"We have clearly identified who exactly are the targets, in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option," Al Mubarak said, in an interview with City's club media channels.
"And we'll go about our business and it will be very clear, very swift. And our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup."
City face Wydad AC in their first game of the tournament on June 18.
The team, bidding for a fifth successive Premier League title, suffered a mid-season free fall and finished third in the table, not securing a Champions League berth until the final day of the season.
Al Mubarak admitted City had not been successful in last summer's transfer window.
"Last summer, we probably should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do," Al Mubarak said.
"We didn't do that and that ended up costing us this year. We already started that rebuild of this team in January."
City brought in Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez during the January window.
They lost to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, however, and ended the season without a trophy for the first time since 2016-17.
"I think all the players, they're excited, they're excited about coming back. Nobody feels good about how we finished the season," Al Mubarak said.
"They want to come back hungry. And I can see the hunger. I was speaking to Rodri as an example, he's looking for games. Erling (Haaland) didn't want to go on vacation."
Spanish midfielder Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, suffered a serious knee injury in September and did not return to action until the season's final two games. REUTERS
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