Pep Guardiola sees Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala as ‘the best ten in the world’ in one- or two years’ time and thinks he can be Kevin de Bruyne’s long-term replacement at the Etihad.
That’s according to Abend Zeitung, who cover the player today amid the growing rumours of Manchester City’s interest in him.
A report yesterday indicated City had been forced to step up their interest after Liverpool started making moves for the player, which was followed up by a claim today that they could make an extremely attractive offer for him.
They were part of growing rumours that Musiala could look to leave Munich as he considers his options due to a lack of playing time under Thomas Tuchel.
His ‘top performances and enormous talent’ have not gone unnoticed according to Abend Zeitung, and Manchester City are one of the sides particularly interested in him.
According to them, Pep Guardiola sees Musiala becoming ‘the best ten in the world’ in the next few years and ‘would like’ to sign him as a replacement for Kevin de Bruyne.
He’s now 32-years-old and reportedly receiving offers from Saudi Arabia and should he leave, a replacement would be needed. Filling that void would be a ‘tempting prospect’ for Musiala.
At the moment his first point of contact is Bayern, and he still feels comfortable at the club, where several teammates are also good friends.
However, the club need to ‘stretch financially’ if they are to match his demands as he wants to be a top earner like Harry Kane, Leroy Sane or Joshua Kimmich who are on €20m a year. He currently earns €8m a year in comparison.
If he doesn’t become a top earner an early departure could be tempting although there have been no discussions between him and Bayern for six months.
The plan is for an agreement to be reached next summer after the season, but things could difficult then is Musiala continues to be out of the team or not playing a key role this season.
Musiala also wants to play for a team that can win the Champions League, plays attractive football and gives him a shot at winning the Ballon d’Or. Manchester City can certainly do that, with Guardiola clearly thinking highly of the player already.
