According to recent rumours, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is reportedly close to signing an exciting player to increase his depth in the wide areas.
Will Jeremy Doku be a part of Manchester City?
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed what he said on X: Manchester City and Rennes have verbally agreed on a price for talented winger Jeremy Doku.
Here we go: Jeremy Doku to Manchester City. After a new bid worth €60 million was made public here this morning, a verbal agreement was already in place. Later this week, medical exams are arranged, and long-term personal terms have been agreed upon. Exclusive report made public on August 1 is true.
According to Sky Sports, a cost in the neighbourhood of £55.5 million has been agreed upon between the two parties for the Belgian international, and Doku is scheduled to go to Manchester on Tuesday to undergo a medical.
The search for an ideal replacement for experienced winger Riyad Mahrez, who earlier this transfer window joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, has been a long one for the City citizens. The Premier League winners have already acquired Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol this transfer window from Chelsea and RB Leipzig, respectively.
Doku has had interest from West Ham United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea over the past few years; nevertheless, he chose to sign with Manchester City despite discussions about moving to the London Stadium earlier in the transfer window, according to talkSPORT.
Michael Olise, a playmaker for Crystal Palace, had been seen as a rival candidate to follow Mahrez at Manchester City, but he has since signed a long-term contract deal with Selhurst Park, according to The Athletic.
Manchester City has had a strong start to the new season, defeating Burnley and Newcastle United without giving up a goal, and they also have the extra benefit of having already won the UEFA Super Cup.
Does Jeremy Doku suit Manchester City well?
Doku seems to be one of Europe’s most promising young players, so Manchester City supporters should be eager to see what he can do over the course of the next few years at the Etihad Stadium once his transfer is finalised.
According to Transfermarkt, the Belgian international has played 92 times for the Ligue 1 team during his stint at Rennes, contributing 12 goals and 10 assists.
According to WhoScored, Doku completed 3.3 dribbles in Ligue 1 per game and almost one critical pass per league match last season. He was also adept at creating space with his cleverness.
According to FBRef, Doku has outperformed his positional contemporaries in Europe’s top five divisions when it comes to progressive carries. At the time of writing, he was performing 6.95 per 90 minutes over the previous 365 days, placing him in the 99th percentile for this category.
It won’t be simple to replace someone like Mahrez at Manchester City, but Doku has the speed and power—which have been complemented by none other than superstar Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain—needed to trouble Premier League defences at will in a team that isn’t set up to control possession in most domestic matches.
