Pep Guardiola has informed the Manchester City hierarchy that he would like to sign Alexis Sanchez and Virgil van Dijk, of Arsenal and Southampton respectively, reports the Guardian.
Alexis came close to a deadline day switch to the Etihad Stadium last summer, but Arsenal decided to pull the plug on the deal after it became apparent that they could not secure a replacement for the Chilean.
Van Dijk, meanwhile, has been linked with a move away from Saints for some time now and while Liverpool came close to luring the Dutchman away from St. Mary’s, the centre-back remained on the south coast.
The Reds would face stiff competition from City for Van Dijk, with Guardiola looking to bring in a new centre-back and Alexis to bolster his attacking options.
Despite holding an 11-point lead over second-placed Manchester United, City are looking to strengthen next month, but are prepared to wait until the summer to secure Alexis’ services if need be.
Guardiola also has concerns over Vincent Kompany’s long-term fitness and with Eliaquim Mangala his only other option besides John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, the City boss is aware of the need to strengthen at the back.
City host Bournemouth on Saturday as they look to extend their winning run to 17 successive games.
