The Times are reporting City could be in for Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere this summer, with Pellegrini set to get the board’s backing despite a poor season for the Premier League champions. The board will also reportedly back his transfer targets, with the Chilean manager wanting a focus on young, home-grown players – and it is believed Jack Wilshere could be near the top of that list.
A number of City’s current home-grown players have been linked with moves away in the summer, such as James Milner, and the club are keen to bring in more to abide by Premier League and Champions League guidelines, with both stipulating that participating clubs must have a certain amount of homegrown players.
In his time at Arsenal, Jack Wilshere has suffered numerous injury set-backs that have prevented him from developing as much as some might have expected him to, and indeed those problems have continued into this season. The recurring ankle injuries will be a factor in whether any club decides to pursue the midfielder, and if City are actually interested in him, they must have some confidence in their ability to keep him fit and firing.
It is believed that it would cost around £30 million to bring the Arsenal man to Eastlands, according to other reports. The 23-year-old is still under contract at The Emirates until the summer of 2018, and is in no rush to leave the team he’s been with since he was 9. He would almost certainly need to be assured of first-team football, and that is something that might not be easy to come by if Yaya Toure stays this summer, as do Fernandinho and Fernando.
Since his Gunners debut in 2008, Jack Wilshere has gone on to make over 145 appearances (in all competitions) for the London team despite his injuries, scoring 11 goals in the process.
