Senior City officials are confident that a serene working environment, as well as significant backing over transfers, will convince the Catalan to stay for longer than three years
Manchester City will give Pep Guardiola their full backing to overhaul their faltering squad with at least four or five big-name arrivals this summer, Goal understands.
It is believed that the mobile phones of both Guardiola and City sporting director Txiki Begiristain have been inundated with calls from agents representing top talent from the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga and elsewhere.
Senior figures at the Etihad Stadium are also keen for Guardiola to stay at the club beyond his three-year contract, which will start on July 1 whether City qualify for the Champions League or not.
The club's current league standing is a situation considered far from ideal in the corridors of power, however.
Manuel Pellegrini's men were left nervously looking over their shoulders after losing 1-0 to rivals Manchester United on Sunday, a result which leaves the Blues just one point above West Ham and two above the Red Devils.
But plans for next season are already under way and a number of top-class players are being lined up to help Guardiola hit the ground running.
Goal sources understand a deal for Ilkay Gundogan, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, is close to being completed. His uncle and agent met with Begiristain at an Amsterdam hotel earlier in March and both Juventus and Barcelona have dropped out of the race.
But City are also in the race for Juventus star Paul Pogba, who left United in 2012 after failing to break into the first team under Sir Alex Ferguson, while Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, who worked with Guardiola for one season at Bayern Munich, may also be of interest should he be made available this summer.
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