Pep Guardiola has reportedly asked the Manchester City hierarchy for Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos. The German was a part of Pep's Bayern Munich in his first season in charge but was subsequently sold to Real Madrid for £24 million.
Pep was unhappy that he only got one season with Toni and would love to bring him to England and ensure his stint as Manchester City manager begins with a handful of trusted players around him. Real Madrid, however, will be demanding nothing less than £50 million for the 26-year-old's services.
Toni Kroos has done exceptionally well for the Spanish giants winning his second UEFA Champions League at the end of last season. The former Bayer Leverkusen man has, however, not ruled out a move away from the Bernabeu.
Couple that with the fact that Real Madrid will need around £100 million plus to get their number one target Paul Pogba this season and things start to make a lot more sense. While the sale of Kroos might upset players and fans alike, the potential arrival of Paul Pogba can make things right for the Los Blancos.
Real Madrid have so far only concluded the deal that saw the return of youth product Alvaro Morata from Juventus. Manager Zinedine Zidane is said to be a big admirer of Paul Pogba and is willing to break the transfer record – also held by Real Madrid – to ensure they sign the Frenchman ahead of his former club Manchester United who are also knee deep in talks to sign the 23-year-old.
Manchester City, meanwhile, have bought Ilkay Gundagon from Borussia Dortmund along with Nolito from Celta Viga and Oleksandr Zinchekov from FC Ufa. Pep Guardiola is said to want more attacking players with the likes of Schalke's Leroy Sane linked along with Barcelona's Neymar.
While the latter will be tough to pull of, Sane has already told his club that he wishes to leave and join one of Europe's big players. General manager Christian Heidel said: "Leroy has made it clear that he would like to leave this summer. We have to accept that.
"However, we will only agree to a sale if the conditions work for Schalke."
Sane is regarded as one of the Bundesliga's and Germany's brightest prospects. His pace, dribbling, and confidence on the ball is unmatched in his age group making him a player a lot of European giants are keeping a close eye on. Guardiola, however, wants him as soon as this summer.
