Erling Haaland arrival means champions Manchester City even more formidable

Manchester City will start next season in the familiar role of title favourites after refusing to rest on their laurels once again.

A year ago they responded to winning the Premier League by splashing out a record £100million (€118 million) on Jack Grealish and this time they appear to have done even better business by signing Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian’s £51.1million fee may be barely half of Grealish’s but, in luring one of the hottest properties in the game to the Etihad Stadium, City now have the look of a complete side.

It seems odd to consider the powerhouse striker as the final piece of a jigsaw for Pep Guardiola, given just how strong his side is, but after back-to-back titles without significant input from a specialist centre-forward, that is exactly how he appears.

The 21-year-old boasts a formidable goalscoring record after finding the net 86 times in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund and, after being taken to the wire by Liverpool last term, City will now hope to have a clear edge. The champions have also ensured their midfield resources remain well stocked with Kalvin Phillips replacing the departed Fernandinho.

Yet Liverpool have also not stood still after the agony of missing out by just a point last season and then losing the Champions League final.

Jurgen Klopp will hope the arrival of exciting forward Darwin Nunez from Benfica will re-energise his forward line for another title tilt. Considering that he comes as a direct replacement for Sadio Mane rather than an addition to a powerful arsenal, his signing may not be as transformative as that of Haaland, but seeing the Uruguayan combine with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz is an exciting prospect.

These bold transfer moves by last season’s two main title