Summary Manchester City's pursuit of Lucas Paqueta has been put on hold due to an investigation, leading them to consider other targets such as Dani Olmo and Jeremy Doku. Olmo has been highly appreciated by the City board and is seen as a potential replacement for Riyad Mahrez, given his impressive dribbling skills and versatility. While Olmo would be a great fit, Leipzig is currently unwilling to sell him, so City may need to explore other options, including Doku, who has had positive discussions with Rennes but needs further clarification before any agreement is reached.
Manchester City have now been given an update on their pursuit of Dani Olmo and Jeremy Doku by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
What's the latest Man City transfer news
Man City have been strongly considering Rennes winger Doku as a replacement for Riyad Mahrez, with Pep Guardiola short on players in wide areas, while they have also been linked with a move for West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta.
According to talkSPORT, the 25-year-old would be keen on a move to the Etihad Stadium, with French football journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi claiming that a bid worth a total of €95m (£81m) has already been tabled by City.
However, the Sky Blues' pursuit of the Brazil international has now been put on hold, as he is being investigated by the FA and FIFA over a betting investigation, meaning they may need to move on to other targets.
Romano has now given an overview of who the Citizens could target instead of Paqueta, detailing that Olmo and Doku remain options, however, a deal for the latter player is likely to be easier to get over the line.
The transfer expert said:
"City are going for a different player in that position because the Paqueta story is complicated, and let’s see if City will try to go for Dani Olmo.
"Their target had always been Lucas Paqueta but Dani Olmo has always been appreciated by some people on the board. At the moment, Leipzig insist on the player being untouchable but we’ll see if City will find some other solution and how they will react.
"Jeremy Doku remains another target for Manchester City. They had discussions with Rennes and positive discussions on the player side, but before agreeing anything, they want to make sure that the situation is not going to be a big fight on the player side."
How good is Dani Olmo?
The Spaniard is a very impressive dribbler of the ball, ranking in the 90th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, and he has been in fantastic form during the early stages of the season.
In his first two games, the 25-year-old has already scored four goals, scoring a hat-trick in the DFL-Supercup in a 3-0 victory against Bayern Munich, having featured on the left of midfield.
The £155k-per-week attacker is extremely versatile, however, and he is also capable of playing on the opposite flank, which indicates he could be a solid replacement for Mahrez, who regularly featured in that area of the pitch for Guardiola's side.
Former RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has hailed the Spain international as "outstanding", while also adding:
"The Bundesliga has a higher pace than the Croatian league, so it takes some time to adjust physically. But he was extremely hard-working, won the ball a lot of times and defended very robustly,"
"He has exceptional abilities and is very safe with the ball. When he gets put under pressure, he knows how to provoke a foul."
Olmo could be the perfect replacement for Mahrez, but Leipzig will need to soften their stance if City are to get a deal over the line, as the German club are currently unwilling to sell him.