Reijnders the latest signing to help bolster 'wounded' City squad
- Published
The question being asked in the lead up to the Club World Cup was how seriously teams would be taking the expanded competition.
Manchester City have emphatically answered that question by bolstering a wounded squad that should now go far in the competition in the United States.
With Kevin de Bruyne departing and a hole left in attacking midfield, City were eyeing up Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz but decided not to pursue a deal owing to the excessive cost of the signing.
Instead, they have boosted the side with the signings of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, wonderkid Rayan Cherki and left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri for a total of around £108m - which is less than the reported 150m euros (£127m) asking price Liverpool are reportedly set to pay for Wirtz.
All three, plus new goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, are available for selection for the Club World Cup with City facing Moroccan side Wydad AC in Philadelphia next Wednesday.