Manchester City have identified Wolves’ returning forward Raul Jimenez as a potential alternative to top target Harry Kane.
According to Fichajes, Manchester City have entered the market for Raul Jimenez. The Wolves forward has emerged as a shock option in Pep Guardiola’s quest to find a new striker and the reigning English champions are thus keeping a close eye on his situation at Molineux.
Part of the Wolves setup since 2018, Jimenez has become a cult hero for the club due to his aggression and fighting spirit in the final third. In just 116 competitive appearances, the striker has already notched up 49 goals, 35 of which have come in the Premier League.
Jimenez’s productivity in front of goal has tuned in well with his aggression, physicality and aerial prowess, making him fit the very definition of a proper number nine. But what has made him an appealing target for Guardiola is his ever-improving technical prowess, with the Mexican international now much more flexible in possession.
Unfortunately for Jimenez, he had missed almost the entirety of last season due to a nasty fractured skull. But the former Atletico Madrid forward has recovered from his knock, already hitting the ground running in the new season with a goal against Southampton this past weekend.
It has put Manchester City on red alert, as the English champions are in the market for a new striker. They were unable to land top target Harry Kane in the summer transfer window. And it appears they may have second thoughts over revisiting the pursuit after witnessing a poor start to the season for the English international, who is yet to score a single goal in the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo, Jimenez’s former manager at Wolves.
The Citizens do have other options including Erling Haaland, even though Real Madrid are preparing a grand swoop of him and Kylian Mbappe next summer. But in Jimenez, Guardiola may find himself with a relatively cost-effective option who has a significant amount of Premier League experience under his belt.
The 30-year-old Mexican international is also quite identical to Haaland in terms of style of play, even offering more in aerial duels. But the Norwegian does have a much higher ceiling and is one of the fastest players on the planet. His father also has strong ties to Manchester City, which might prove to be useful once we head towards the start of next season.
