Manchester City interested in surprise move for Premier League striker Danny Ings
Sky Sports reported earlier today that inevitable Premier League champions Manchester City are interested in Southampton striker Danny Ings as a potential replacement for Sergio Aguero.
Seen as a cheaper solution to their search for a striker compared to the likes of Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland – whose supposed market value is around £100 million – City would have a great chance to secure the Premier League striker since Ings’ contract at Southampton expires next year.
Despite Southampton offering Ings a new contract some time ago, Ings has yet to agree to any new deal with The Saints, and with Manchester City now knocking on the door of Ings, I doubt the England striker will be rushing to sign a new deal with Southampton any time soon.
Would Ings be a smart acquisition for City?
Manchester City are known to have incredible squad depth in most positions on the pitch.
However, with Aguero’s future at City in doubt due to his contract expiring at the end of this season, Gabriel Jesus would be City’s only natural striker should Aguero depart.
It’s always a risk signing a player for big money from outside the Premier League, as sometimes, it can be tough for players to adapt to the physicality and speed of the Premier League.
Just look at Angel Di Maria’s one-season career at Manchester United following his £60 million move in 2014, where he produced just 3 goals in 27 appearances for the Premier League side.
Therefore, a move for a Premier League proven striker could be a smart move for City, especially with the prospect of potentially getting Ings on a free should he run down his current contract.
However, Ings has only scored 8 Premier League goals this season – nothing compared to his elite campaign last season, in which he scored 22 goals, making him the joint-top goal scorer in the Premier League.
On the other hand, Jesus has only scored 7 Premier League goals this season, despite City’s dominance.
49 goals in 49 games for Borussia Dortmund
20 goals in 14 Champions League games
29 goals in 27 games for FC Red Bull Salzburg
6 goals in 4 UEFA Nations League gamesErling Haaland was born to score goals ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/jnrmpTWc4n
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 20, 2021
Personally, I think if City have a chance to sign Haaland, who is clearly a generational talent, they should go for it.
Especially considering Haaland is just 20 years old, he would be a great building block for the future of Manchester City.
Add a player like Haaland to this current Manchester City team and they could dominate for years to come.
Whereas with Ings, he’s already slowing down from his wonderful output last season, showing that it could have been a fluke season – meaning signing him could be a risk for City, who wouldn’t want to add to their wage bill unless that player could make a serious impact for them.
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