Man City wrestle with their key stances clashing in transfer window

"If you look at what we have done in the last five years, our level of investment in new players is well thought.

"We are not the top net spenders of the last year or the last three or five years because we have a platform where we know what to do and we can do it with time and intelligence. When we don't like a deal, we walk away and we don't panic."

Manchester City had recently passed on the chance to match Arsenal's £100million bid for Declan Rice when their CEO Ferran Soriano made these comments, and they were as true in previous years for Jorginho, Harry Maguire, and others. The Blues are so unhappy with paying over the odds for transfer targets that they almost always walk away and make do with what they've got.

Pep Guardiola already has an immensely talented squad at the Etihad full of world-class players who are versatile enough to play multiple positions, so finding upgrades or replacements is not straightforward. Having had weeks to prepare for the departure of Riyad Mahrez and months since Ilkay Gundogan left, replacements have not been found.

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That doesn't mean that they aren't being looked for; central midfielder Lucas Paqueta and winger Jeremy Doku are two of the latest options being given serious consideration by City as they consider how to sharpen up the squad. Given Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden can play inside or on the wings, the Blues already have the flexibility to be able to be picky in their decision-making.

The market is complicating things though, not least as a result of the business that has already been done. City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has previously set out the stance that not building on a position of strength