Pep Guardiola substituted Gabriel Jesus in the second half of Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester United after he failed to register a shot on target and David Ornstein of The Athletic says this is why the Sky Blues are ‘in contention’ to sign Erling Haaland.
Not only are City looking for a long-term replacement for the soon-to-be-out-of-contract Sergio Aguero, they also need competition for Jesus as he’s struggling for consistency this season. The 5ft 7in striker has endured goal droughts in 2020/21 and may not be reliable over the course of a campaign.
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Jesus has made 28 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 11 goals and supplying three assists (Transfermarkt). The 23-year-old has only bagged six goals in 20 league games, however, and has gone five or more games without scoring on two separate occasions.
Haaland would be a stark improvement on Jesus. The Norwegian international joined Borussia Dortmund from RB Salzburg in January 2020 and has gone on to score 45 goals and make 11 assists in 46 games across the board (Transfermarkt).
City are keen on Haaland but will have competition from a host of big clubs in Europe, so it remains to be seen if their pursuit is successful. Dortmund want to keep the 20-year-old until 2022, so they may rebuff offers in the coming months.