Fresh from a repugnant 2-1 defeat to Wigan Athletic in the quarter final of the FA Cup, the media have already begun listing potential targets for the blues in the summer window. A disastrous defensive show helped Uwe Rösler's side record a precious victory at the Etihad Stadium and sent the City legend on his way to Wembley for a semi-final clash with Arsenal. Poor performances from Micah Richards, Martin Demichelis and Gaël Clichy characterised a shambolic City showing, and the necessity for Pellegrini to improve the defence was highlighted more definitively than ever before.
Nevertheless, if reports from the Daily Star are to be believed, Manuel Pellegrini has already commenced preparations for the summer window. The paper believe the Chilean has set aside £50m for the double capture of Southampton's Luke Shaw and Everton's Ross Barkley. The pair have recently emerged as England's brightest talents and with a combined age of just 38, they offer an incredible amount of potential. Pellegrini has been slammed for his negligence of home grown talents since his move to Manchester City, but could be about to change his philosophies and improve his squad with two of England's future stars. However, the blues will have to battle with both Manchester United and Chelsea if they are to seal the deal.
Another defensive target that has been linked to City in the last few months is on his way to the Premier League. The agent of Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk has confirmed that his client will be a Premier League player next season after an impressive season with the Bhoys. The 22-year-old's situation is also being monitored by Manchester United.
(The Dutch defender won 63% of his duels in the Champions League this season)
In other news, Samir Nasri took to Twitter to apologise to Manchester City fans after his side's 2-1 loss to Wigan Athletic on Sunday afternoon. The Frenchman, who grabbed City's only goal of the game, starred in the blue's Capital One Cup win and called on his side to focus on Wednesday's huge game with Barcelona.
Nasri wrote, ''Dissapointing performance from us, sorry to the fans let's focus on wednesday and the league.''
(Samir Nasri's excellent finish couldn't spur City to a win)
