Manchester City switch summer sights from Paul Pogba to Thiago Alcantara

All summer, Manchester City had been linked with eye-wateringly expensive transfer bids and wage packets to entice Juventus' Paul Pogba to swap Serie A for life at Eastlands. When the window slammed shut and the Frenchman was still in Turin, "just wait until next summer," the chorus rang out.

Some three weeks after transfer deadline day, though, and reports suggest that City have already turned their attentions elsewhere. According to Goal, Man City have resigned themselves to Pogba departing for Barcelona next summer, and are now working to line up Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara instead.

Thiago made just 13 appearances for Bayern last season in another injury-hit campaign for the former Barcelona starlet, but he's been a far more regular fixture in Pep Guardiola's side this term. And that brings up another interesting possibility.

Guardiola is the man who reared Thiago at Barcelona, and then brought him to Bayern. The former Barca boss has been frequently linked with a move to the Etihad -- despite current manager Manuel Pellegrini's contract extension -- for some time now.