Manchester City have identified Stade Rennes star Jeremy Doku as their new no.1 target to replace Riyad Mahrez this summer, it has been reported.
Pep Guardiola’s side are coming off the back of a historic treble, but have lost several key players already this summer with Mahrez joining Al-Ahli in a 30m euro move and skipper Ilkay Gundogan heading to Barcelona as a free agent when his contract at the Etihad expired.
The futures of both Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte are both in doubt too, with the pair thought to be keen to leave the Premier League champions this summer.
So far, they have only signed Mateo Kovacic to fill that gap, and are thought to be on the hunt for another winger to allow Phil Foden to play more centrally.
They had been strongly linked with a move for Michael Olise, and were even thought to be ready to pay as much as £50m for the Crystal Palace man, who registered 11 assists for the Eagles last season.
However, recent reports have suggested that Doku has shot to the top of their transfer wishlist, ahead of Olise. As per Belgian football expert Sacha Tavolieri, talks have begun for the young winger, though no offer has yet been tabled either to the player or the Ligue 1 side.
Doku struggled to start for much of the season for Stade Rennes last season, but finished the campaign strongly and grabbed eight goal contributions in just over 1200 minutes of Ligue 1 football.
Still just 21-years-old, he is considered one of the most exciting talents in the division, but now looks certain to be playing elsewhere come the new season.
