Manchester City are reportedly plotting an eleventh hour bid to sign Toni Kroos from Real Madrid before transfer deadline day in England
According to a report by Spanish publication Don Balon, Manchester City are weighing up a late move for Toni Kroos, with less than a week remaining for the summer transfer window to slam shut in England. The Real Madrid superstar is the latest midfielder to be linked with the Premier League champions, who are keen on boosting their creative options.
Kroos has been a midfield extraordinaire for Real Madrid since joining from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014, playing a major role in Los Blancos‘ domination in Europe. But, this summer, his future at the Bernabeu has been uncertain, with reports that the La Liga giants might be open to a sale.
While those rumours seem to be untrue, there is no dearth of interest in the German international. Manchester United have been heavily linked with Kroos this summer. But, it is Manchester City that are showing serious interest in signing the Real Madrid superstar.
Manchester City have been linked with a number of midfielders this summer, with Pep Guardiola hinting that David Silva will be gradually phased out from the 2018-19 season. For a long time, Jorginho was believed to be the priority for the Premier League champions. But, Chelsea beat them to the Italian international’s signature instead.
Kroos is not the only Real Madrid midfielder who has been linked with Manchester City since then, with Mateo Kovacic also reportedly being a target. While Kovacic could be more approachable due to his desire to leave, Kroos is a more established midfielder who has proven his credentials in Europe.
But while Kroos is a viable target for Manchester City, poaching him from Real Madrid will be a whole different ball game altogether. As per the report though, Pep Guardiola has given an ultimatum of sorts to Kroos, so as to exact a final decision out of him in due time.
With less than a week remaining for the English transfer window to shut down, the Manchester City boss does not have a lot of time to indulge in negotiations. Kroos is considering the move, but convincing Real Madrid to sell will be nigh on impossible, considering they are already sweating over the future of Luka Modric.
Just a few more days remain before time runs out for Guardiola to land the elusive creative midfielder for his squad. It will be interesting to see if Kroos ends up joining from Real Madrid, or if Manchester City are left empty handed instead.
