After finishing last year with one final flourish of goals, Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has produced a relatively underwhelming goal total this season. He has been held to just six markers for the year. Dzeko’s form has been one of many issues for City this season and it has been a thorn in their side, even though they lead the EPL with 81 tallies.
With the focus already shifted to the future, there is no doubt that they will look to make one or more moves to address the striker position this offseason. Here is a look at five potential candidates that City could consider to replace Dzeko.
Harry Kane, Tottenham
There is no doubt a number of teams will be pushing hard to acquire the services of Kane from Tottenham after he ranked among the Premier League’s top scorers this past season. Kane finished with a total of 20 goals, which was the second most in the Premier League next to City’s Sergio Aguero. Kane is the type of pure finisher that doesn’t need much room to make opposing teams pay and it’s scary to think about what he would be capable of accomplishing with a little more talent around him at Manchester City. Beyond that, he’s just 21 years old, so Kane could still have plenty of room for improvement. The only question remains will Tottenham want to let go of one of their most integral, foundation pieces.
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Christian Benteke, Aston Villa
The 24-year-old Benteke has struggled to maintain a high level of play at Villa Park once again this season but he still has a very high level of potential. He is an option who will come cheaper than Kane and City could be buying low if he benefits greatly from the change in scenery. Benteke has all of the tools to become one of the Premier League’s top strikers in the right situation and he’s still ninth in the EPL with 13 goals. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that City would consider him as a potential replacement for Dzeko.
Raheem Sterling, Liverpool
Sterling might not be the pure striker that City is after and a rival club like Liverpool won’t be quick to pull the trigger on a deal that would help them, but there is no doubt City will have an interest in acquiring the attacking midfielder if given the opportunity. Manuel Pellegrini’s side desperately needs an attacking player capable of holding on to the ball and creating space for others and Sterling would be an excellent addition up front as a potential replacement for Dzeko. Keep in mind that there has some friction between Sterling and the team, and it looks like he’ll be leaving Liverpool shortly.
Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon
The 23-year-old Lacazette has been dominant at Lyon throughout this season with a ridiculous 29 goals in 34 matches. He finished atop the Ligue 1 stats table in terms of scoring. He has also gained some valuable experience at the International level with France and it’s clear that he is ready to handle the next challenge in his career. There will be a number of teams across Europe that are interested in Lacazette’s services and City will be among them.
Thomas Muller, Bayern Munich
This would be a potential dark horse acquisition for a Manchester City team that would have a hard time convincing Muller to leave Bayern for the EPL. However, he is exactly the type of player that would be the perfect replacement for Dzeko up front. City is desperate for the type of pure finisher that could really provide them with a boost up front the way that Diego Costa has for Chelsea this season. With his 13 tallies, Muller is tied for the sixth most goals in Bundesliga action this season. If they can somehow find a way to acquire Muller from Bayern Munich, it would be a major coup for them.
