Man City ready to raid Brighton for £50m Kaoru Mitoma after Josko Gvardiol transfer and it could be bad news for Chelsea
PEP GUARDIOLA will move for Kaoru Mitoma next after finally landing £77million Josko Gvardiol.
Centre-back Gvardiol, 21, arrived from RB Leipzig on a five-year deal, joining Croatian pal Mateo Kovacic as Manchester City’s second summer buy.
And Japanese winger Mitoma, 26, is also on the radar, with a five-year contract offer still to be signed at Brighton.
His current deal has two years left but the Seagulls are keen to tie him down for longer and have already knocked back interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.
City chief Guardiola wants to bring in a new wideman after Riyad Mahrez’s £30m move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.
The Spaniard is a big fan of Mitoma — who can play on either flank — and singled him out for praise during City’s pre-season Far East tour.
Ahead of their friendly against Yokohama F Marinos, Guardiola was asked about the quality of Asian football.
“Well I would say the impact of [Kaoru] Mitoma on the Premier League has been incredible,” he told reporters.
“He is in the right place with the right manager and his last season was extraordinary.
“And look at what Japan have done in the World Cup in a tough, tough group.”
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A possible £50million deal is now on the cards, according to the Daily Star.
Mitoma has been identified by the treble winners as a potential replacement for Mahrez.
However, Brighton are unlikely to allow the Japanese international to leave easily.
Alexis Mac Allister has already been sold this summer and Chelsea continue to chase a deal for Moises Caicedo.
As a result, the Seagulls are not expected to let both Mitoma and Caicedo leave before the end of the transfer window.