Guardiola retaining long-term focus with Manchester City transfer plans

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City will focus primarily on signing promising youngsters ahead of next season as they begin to plan their transfer activity.

City brought in the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Marlos Moreno and Oleksandr Zinchenko over the course of the past two transfer windows.

Jesus and Sane have already made a significant impact and Guardiola has suggested they will continue to look for players in that age category.

“I am planning. [Sporting director] Txiki [Begiristain] is planning. The staff is planning, of course,” Guardiola told CityTV.

“We have to have one eye on the short, the medium, the long term.

“We are buying for the long term. That is why Leroy is here, why Raz [Raheem Sterling] is here and why Gabriel is here. All of them are 20 years old, except one or two cases when we need experience.

“The age is so important. Maybe we are going to buy a guy who is 28 or 29 years old because we are short in that position and he is going to give three or four important years. But of course, as young as possible is much better.

“Of course, that planning is underway.”