Manchester City's bid to refresh their midfield has been boosted, with a deal now said to be in place to bring Tijjani Reijnders to the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola's side struggled much more than expected last season and found wins hard to come by in the autumn and winter, before rallying to finish third in the Premier League.
But their need to refresh the squad in certain areas became abundantly clear, with their midfield in particular need of new recruits
Tijjani Reijnders' Manchester City move looking imminent as transfer fee and terms agreed
City have let Kevin de Bruyne go as a free agent and struggled to get much in the way of goals from a confessedly burnt-out Phil Foden last season.
Ilkay Gundogan, who is a European Cup-winning captain, was brought back to the club from Barcelona last summer, but will turn 35 in October and was only ever likely to be a short-term solution in midfield.
However, 26-year-old Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders now looks set to fill the role Gundogan played with such distinction during his first spell at the club.
Reijnders shares Gundogan's ability to play in any central midfield role and plunder goals and assists in the process.
The Dutch international racked up 10 goals and three assists in 37 Serie A appearances for Milan this season, as well as three goals in 10 Champions League outings.
FBRef's scouting reports, meanwhile, automatically compare players' statistics against other players in leagues of a similar level... and Reijnders' most comparable player is none other than Gundogan.
Neither player is noted for a huge defensive contribution, but both are especially adept at carrying the ball forward in the build-up to moves before getting into the box to help finish them off.
For FourFourTwo, that makes a move for younger model Reijnders a very sensible move for City: a like-for-like change with more long-term potential and a bit more energy in the middle of the park could be just what they need to help turn things around.
And reports now suggest that is about to happen, with Gianluca Di Marzio writing that a transfer fee in the region of €70m (£58.9m) including add-ons has been verbally agreed between City and Milan.
Fabrizio Romana adds that City have already agreed personal terms with Reijnders, and it would now appear to be a matter of going through the usual transfer and medical formalities.
