Man City ‘plan’ £50m Tajon Buchanan swoop as Mahrez successor finally lined up

Manchester City are reportedly eyeing up Tajon Buchanan with a view to making him Riyad Mahrez’s long-term successor on the right wing. Club Brugge star Buchanan will not come cheap, however, with competition for his signature allowing the Belgian side to demand a premium price.

City splashed out on Jeremy Doku during the summer, creating a high-quality fight for minutes on the left flank. The same can’t be said for the opposite side of the pitch, where Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva have deputised out of position this season.

Mahrez scored 15 goals in all competitions as City romped to a staggering silverware treble last term. But since the Algerian signed for Al-Ahli, Pep Guardiola has not welcomed a direct replacement.

That could all change this winter as The Daily Star claim that Buchanan is firmly on the club’s radar. The Canadian international has 18 months left to run on his contract.

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Club Brugge are set to come under increasing pressure to sell, and City are believed to be plotting a January bid. Reports indicate that it could take a whopping £50million offer to set the wheels in motion.

Buchanan’s former club, New England Revolution, would land 10 per cent of the fee, having inserted a sell-on clause when they sanctioned his exit in 2021. Club Brugge are therefore likely to hold out for a handsome sum.

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Rival interest from Inter Milan would also ensure that City cough up what is required or risk going without. Buchanan, 24, is a natural right-sided player who can play on the wing or at full-back.

The wide man has racked up two goals and two assists in Belgium so far this season while boasting 35 caps at international level. Guardiola is believed to be desperate for squad reinforcements as his side press on in their hunt for a first Premier League win since November 4.

A painful defeat at Aston Villa on Wednesday evening made it four games on the bounce without a victory for the reigning champions, who pipped Arsenal to the title by five points last term.

Villa’s scintillating form has left City languishing in fourth place, seven points off the top, ahead of their trip to Luton Town on Sunday, with Liverpool currently setting the pace.

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