Liverpool hijack, £65m dream or hold firm - Man City next transfer after Oscar Bobb injury decided

Manchester City have a transfer conundrum to solve after Oscar Bobb was struck down by injury.

The 22-year-old will miss the start of the 2024/25 season after fracturing a bone in his leg during training. But will the Premier League champions seek out a direct replacement for him this summer?

Julian Alvarez heading to Atletico Madrid in a surprise move provides them with an £81.5million windfall to spend, while The Manchester Evening News understands City were already considering potential additions, anyway, with Pep Guardiola one down after losing Alvarez and now two following the Bobb setback.

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Immediately sparking attention are Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon, who has been linked heavily with a move to Liverpool, Real Madrid star Rodrygo and Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, among others. Here, our reporters debate the best option for City and decided who they should sign.

The temptation after learning of Bobb's injury is to dive straight into the transfer market given how important Bobb was in the summer. But City don't make rash decisions and won't change that here. Bobb has been brilliant in pre-season, but the Blues have enough bodies to cover.

Jeremy Doku, Savinho, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden can all play on both flanks, with Bernardo and Foden also able to play in midfield alongside Jack Grealish who is preferred on the left but could potentially move to the right if needed. Kevin De Bruyne, Matheus Nunes, Nico O'Reilly and James McAtee can play at number ten as well, so there is no desperate need to sign a replacement even if Bobb's injury and Alvarez's sale