da betobet： Pep Guardiola's side may have just won a fourth Premier League title, but they will need to strengthen their squad after pipping Arsenal to the post

da realbet： How do Manchester City improve on winning an unprecedented four Premier League titles in a row? By winning a record-extending fifth, obviously. Anyone who has followed Pep Guardiola's coaching career even remotely will know that the Catalan will not be sated by his side's latest triumph and will already be planning his squad to retain the crown, particularly if it is to be his final season at the Etihad Stadium.

And there is plenty of planning to be done. While no one could begrudge City their triumph, it will not have escaped Guardiola's attention that his side won the title by fine margins after being pushed all the way by Arsenal, with Liverpool also challenging until the penultimate month of the season.

This was a different type of victory compared to City's previous title conquests, won mostly due to their ability to ruthlessly take care of the lower and mid-table teams rather than their record against their usual rivals. Just take the fact that they won only two out of 10 matches against the Premier League's top six, failing to beat Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea or Real Madrid while losing the FA Cup final to Manchester United.

Guardiola will be keen to address those small weaknesses in the transfer market and assemble another title-winning side while also looking towards going deep in the Champions League, which will be ever more draining after being expanded to 36 teams.

City have not been shy about spending big in recent windows, splashing £220 million ($281m) in 2023. They can expect a similar budget for this summer after announcing record revenues last year following their treble triumph and turning their academy into a money-printing machine, while player sales could further raise funds for their transfer raids.

Getty ImagesProblem positions

It is difficult to pick too many holes in a team that has just won a sixth title in seven years while scoring 96 goals. However, the main area City will want to address is midfield. They did not adequately replace Ilkay Gundogan when he left last summer and they grew to rely on Rodri to an unhealthy extent, underlined by the fact that when the Spaniard was suspended for four games between September and December, they lost all of them.

The other areas City will look to address depends on whether there are major exits, with there still being uncertainty over the futures of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, plus Ederson. That could mean City scouring the market for a new goalkeeper and playmaker.

Although less pressing in the short term, City will need to look to the future in terms of full-backs as Kyle Walker has just turned 34 and has two years left on his contract, which is set to be his last. A new centre-back could also be in order, although it is by no means a priority.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesRumour mill

City have been most heavily linked with Bruno Guimaraes and their cause could be helped by the fact Newcastle need to sell to meet the Premier League's financial obligations. There was interest in Lucas Paqueta, too, but there is practically no chance of them signing him after he was charged by the FA for four instances of alleged spot-fixing.

The champions are also reportedly interested in Jeremie Frimpong, one of the stars of Bayer Leverkusen's incredible double-winning, unbeaten season. The Dutchman came through City's academy and his ability to play as a full-back or in attacking midfield would appeal to Guardiola.

Bayern Munich pair Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala are also potential targets for City. Kimmich overlapped with Guardiola for one season in Bavaria and has just one year left on his contract, while Musiala has two years left on his deal. Eberechi Eze is another attacking midfielder who has been linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium after contributing to 15 goals for Crystal Palace.

(C)Getty ImagesIdeal signing

Guimaraes is exactly the sort of profile City need to fill the Gundogan-shaped hole in their midfield. The Brazilian has the physical attributes to cope with Guardiola's demands and has the vision and technical ability to slot straight into the team. He would help ease the burden on Rodri and allow Guardiola to rotate and rest his midfield lynchpin once in a while.

Guimaraes would be able to play alongside Rodri too, either holding the fort while the Spaniard attacks or getting forward himself. His tally of seven goals and eight assists is very similar to Rodri's haul of eight goals and nine assists and in the same bracket as Gundogan, who hit eight goals and set up four in his final year with City.

Guardiola declared his admiration for Guimaraes back in March, saying: "He is an exceptional holding midfielder. He is aggressive, with the ball or without the ball. At set-pieces, he’s aggressive and is a real, complete holding midfielder."

Getty Heading for the exits

Ederson might have played his last game for the club after missing the end of the season with an eye-socket injury. The Brazilian, who has been with City since 2017, has been linked with a move to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League. Saudi Arabia has also been touted as a destination for De Bruyne although it is believed that the Belgian, whose contract runs out in 2025, would favour moving to Major League Soccer instead.

Bernardo Silva is expected to explore a move away again as he has done practically every summer since joining City, and it has been reported that the last contract he signed in 2023 contained a release clause of around £50m ($64m). Joao Cancelo, meanwhile,has no future at City after falling out with Guardiola, but the challenge for City will be finding a club willing to take him on.

Jack Grealish could pursue a move away after a frustrating third season in which he started just 10 Premier League games, whie Taylor Harwood-Bellis has already sealed a £20m ($25m) move to Southampton after earning promotion back to the Premier League.

City will also be looking to sell Yan Couto after he helped Girona achieve their highest finish in La Liga by coming third and qualifying for the Champions League.