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Manchester City have blown hot and cold in the Premier League this season, despite a fairly busy summer.
Even though they are in contention in four different competitions, Pep Guardiola's men have been pretty underwhelming, especially in the Premier League, where they are languishing outside the top four after winning only eight of their 15 games.
Nevertheless, Manchester City have begun to rediscover their mojo in recent times and have managed to address their lack of goals that plagued them at the start of the season.
Since a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City have kept five clean sheets in their next six games to move from a lowly 13th to fifth in the Premier League.
However, the Cityzens are not finding the back of the net as often as they do, scoring more than two goals in a league game only twice this season.
Following that defeat to Spurs, Manchester City had kept only one clean sheet in eight games, a run that included a chastening 2-5 home reverse against Leicester City.
Five players Manchester City could sign in January
With issues galore at both ends of the pitch, Manchester City are likely to have a busy transfer window in January.
On that note, let us have a look at five players whom the club could bring in this month.
#5 Raphael Guerreiro
Raphael Guerreiro has been a key player for Borussia Dortmund since his arrival at the club in the summer of 2016.
The 26-year-old left-back, who has already scored two goals and assisted six in the ongoing Bundesliga, is the subject of interest of many Premier League clubs, one of them being Manchester City.
Following the indifferent performances of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Benjamin Mendy, Guerreiro could be the player to rejuvenate Manchester City's defence on the flanks.
The Dortmund man is the type of full-back that Guardiola loves to have in his teams - one who is good on the ball and doesn't hesitate to dart forward when an opportunity beckons.
#4 Marcelo Brozovic
Marcelo Brozovic has been a fixture at Inter Milan since the 2014-15 season and has made over 200 appearances in all competitions for the club.
The 28-year-old central defensive midfielder has put up performances that have attracted the attention of a bevy of top clubs around the continent. Last season, he made the most accurate passes than any player in the Italian top flight.
Unsurprisingly, the ball-playing Brozovic is being courted by Manchester City, who consider the Croatian as the perfect replacement for the ageing Fernandinho.
#3 Erling-Braut Haaland
Erling-Braut Haaland is one of the hottest young strikers on the planet at the moment and is pursued by a lot of top clubs, one of them being Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
After being snapped up by Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in January last year following his blistering exploits with Salzburg in the Champions League, Haaland has been one of the most sought-after names with no dearth of suitors.
Manchester City have reason to pursue Haaland, as they consider the young Norwegian as a like-for-like or maybe an upgrade on their prolific Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero, who has struggled for game-time this season.
Under a seasoned tactician like Guardiola, Haaland could blossom into a more fearsome and complete player if he joins Manchester City. Whether the player moves clubs in January, however, remains to be seen.
#2 Kingsley Coman
Kingsley Coman has been a key player for Bayern Munich since joining the Bavarian giants in the summer of 2015.
The French winger, who scored the winner in last season's Champions League final against PSG to confirm Bayern's second continental treble, has won a staggering 21 major trophies with club and country.
The 24-year-old's attributes and pedigree have seen the player linked with a plethora of clubs, with Manchester City being touted as one of the Frenchman's possible future destinations.
Coman is unlikely to leave Bayern in January. However, his refusal to rule out an exit from Bavaria in an earlier interview means that Manchester City could land the player, who would be the perfect replacement for the departed Leroy Sane, in January.
#1 Lionel Messi
Arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the game, Lionel Messi was on the verge of leaving his beloved Barcelona at the end of the last campaign before deciding to see out his contract, which runs out at the end of the season.
With the player, who becomes a free agent in the summer, yet to commit his long-term future to the Blaugrana, Manchester City have emerged as one of his likeliest destinations. That is because Messi would be reunited with his former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.
Moreover, Manchester City are one of the few clubs in the world who have the financial muscle to pay Messi's gargantuan salary even though the player could arrive for free.
However, if Barcelona decide to recoup something from their investment in the player, Messi could still leave the club this month on a big-money transfer to Manchester City.
The most prolific player for a single club is still a force to be reckoned with despite his diminishing returns in recent years.
