According to Ben Jacobs/@JacobsBen via @caughtoffside Manchester City ‘really like’ Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka and have been monitoring the England international’s situation, with the Hale End academy graduate’s current contract expiring on June 30th, 2024. Saka has been in fine form for the Gunners so far this season, scoring 7 times and assisting another 7 in just 19 Premier League appearances.
There is a feeling in the industry that Saka’s short-term future lies at Arsenal however in the long term could become complicated as ‘he expects his form and progression to get improved terms that match that level of standard, and this can take time sometimes,’ wrote Jacobs.
‘The only fear is in the longer term – Manchester City, for example, really like him, they’ve monitored him, but it’s a long-term thing because even they don’t think he’s going to be moving in the short-term’. With City seemingly in the search of a left-winger this summer with names such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Rafael Leao being touted, it would make sense for a potential move for Arsenal’s most prized possession to be a potential long-term move.
With Riyad Mahrez currently playing at an elite level, City are not currently in search for a right-winger to come in and dislodge the Algerian. However, Mahrez is approaching his 32nd birthday and City will need to find an adequate replacement to replace such a fantastic player. Saka has all the hallmarks to stay at the very top of the game for years to come. He possesses the ability to shift inside and wave his wand of a left foot not too dissimilar to Mahrez but also the ability to go down the byline and stand a cross up. Having a two-dimensional winger in your arsenal is a fantastic weapon to have, and City needs some unpredictability and dynamism out wide. Saka would be an immense acquisition.