Guardiola’s Haaland concern prompts Man City to launch £65m January move

Erling Haaland may be in prolific form for Manchester City, but manager Pep Guardiola is worried about how reliant his side are on the Norway star for goals and is ready to take action in January.

Haaland has been exceptional this season for the Cityzens. Across all competitions, he has scored 19 goals, but his team-mates combined have chipped in only 18 more.

Guardiola recognised that having one player account for more than 50% of goals in the squad is not a healthy situation.

This is particularly the case after the Catalan rested Haaland for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen – a match that they lost 2-0 at home and looked wasteful with Omar Marmoush in the No.9 role.

In a bid to ease City’s reliance on Haaland, Guardiola is ready to launch a January move for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, according to TalkSport.

The Ghana international has emerged as one of the hottest players for the winter transfer window after scoring six goals in 11 Premier League matches for the Cherries. Manchester United and Chelsea are both interested in the star, while Liverpool are ready to make a bid, according to the latest reports.

Antoine Semenyo: Why Man City want to sign Bournemouth winger

Semenyo is considered a particularly enticing option because he has a release fee worth around €74 million (£65m). If City match the terms in this clause, they will not have to negotiate with Bournemouth over a move.

The 25-year-old has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €51.1m – standing at a career high.

He is the type of profile that Manchester City have typically targeted in recent transfer windows in that he is arriving towards his peak years but still has yet to reach his potential. His Premier League experience will be a further bonus for Guardiola as it should allow him to settle quickly.

Crucial to Man City’s interest, though, is his scoring power. Guardiola recognises that there is an unhealth reliance on Haaland at the Etihad Stadium, and recruiting Semenyo is a move that could help ease that issue.

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