Guardiola wants eight new players at Man City

Pep Guardiola has told Manchester City chiefs their squad needs a £200million facelift – with as many as EIGHT new starting players required to make the club a major title-winning force.

The incoming Etihad manager has urged City’s board to make wholesale changes to a team which only scraped into the Premier League’s top four under Manuel Pellegrini.

And even with the sovereign wealth of Abu Dhabi behind the club, City know it will take them TWO summer windows to transform their squad to Guardiola’s liking – with most of his intended targets said to be valued at ‘£25million plus’.

It is believed that, among City’s current squad, only Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho are seen as ideal starters by Guardiola.

Skipper Vincent Kompany is a possible fourth, although the injury-prone Belgian’s fitness record means that central defence is a top priority for the incoming boss.