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Manchester City are expected to be active in the January transfer window when it opens on Thursday
Manchester City have already done more business in January than they may have expected to. Antoine Semenyo was an opportunity that was too good for Hugo Viana to ignore and Pep Guardiola will get a proven Premier League goalscorer to complement his options for the second half of the season.
While there is more of a surprise element under Viana, City are not expected to bring in anybody beyond Semenyo this month The Bournemouth forward will set the Blues back around £65m and the next biggest piece of business for them in the month will be trying to recoup some of that money.
Oscar Bobb has plenty of interest from clubs looking to take him on loan - Dortmund lead the pack - and City will try to land a deal that can come with a permanent transfer at the end of it. Bobb has lots of potential and talent, he just needs a break and Semenyo's arrival decreases the chances he can get one at the Etihad.
In terms of first team players, Nathan Ake looks the next likeliest to leave. The senior defender has barely had a kick this season and Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has commented on the player's 'frustration' on a few occasions and would like him to get more regular football in the build-up to the World Cup.
A number of Premier League clubs are interested and City would let Ake leave in the right circumstances, although Guardiola would still be reticent to lose a defender who he has still used this season to help see out the final minutes of games. Ake also counts as a homegrown player, and while it isn't imperative to keep him for that reason it is something to be wary of.
City have lots of work to do in the loans market to limit the damage done by some poor moves in the summer. Claudio Echeverri will be off to Girona after his Leverkusen move ended up being a disaster, and will be hoping for more regular game time.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has had a similarly bad time at Celtic and will leave Glasgow in January, with a Championship move on the cards for the second half of the season. Sverre Nypan is expected to stay in that division at Middlesbrough, although the Blues are closely monitoring his situation with opportunities limited.
A number of other loan moves could be sorted for academy players, albeit Guardiola has more than he usually does training with the first team currently to cover absences for the Africa Cup of Nations. Divine Mukasa has played in every round of the Carabao Cup and is one of those who will be sticking around as City look to give themselves enough cover and competition in their squad.
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