Manchester City were dealt a huge blow at the end of last month as midfielder Ilkay Gundogan departed upon the expiry of his contract with the club.
The German has signed for Spanish giants Barcelona on a free transfer after captaining the Citizens to the treble last season.
This has left Pep Guardiola without one of his trusted midfield options heading into the 2023/24 campaign, which could tempt him into the transfer market in the coming weeks.
Mateo Kovacic has joined on a permanent deal from Chelsea but his six goals in 221 competitive matches for the Blues does not suggest that he has the goalscoring ability to adequately replace the ex-Borussia Dortmund ace.
Gundogan found the back of the net 11 times in all competitions for City last term, scoring crucial goals in vital games – including two in the FA Cup final against Manchester United.
Who could replace Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City?
Guardiola could forget all about the now-Barcelona dynamo by securing the signing of Celta Vigo prodigy Gabri Veiga, who is a reported transfer target for the club.
He has a €40m (£34m) release clause in his contract with the Spanish side and City are said to be willing to match it, although they face competition from a host of European clubs – including Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Chelsea from the Premier League.
Like Gundogan, the 21-year-old magician, who was once hailed as "dangerous" by journalist Euan McTear, is a central midfielder with an eye for goal and his exploits in the final third could make him the dream replacement for City.
The Spain U21 international averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 across 36 LaLiga outings last term and contributed with 11 goals to go along with four assists from the middle of the park, which came after he managed nine goals in 31 outings for Celta B in the 2021/22 season.
Veiga, who predominantly plays as a number eight or ten, is not a seasoned campaigner who would come in with a guarantee of success but his impressive goal return from his position at the age of 21 suggests that the potential is there for him to be an excellent addition for Guardiola.
Gundogan averaged a goal every 5.06 matches on average throughout his City career (60 in 304) and the Celta Vigo starlet has averaged a strike every 3.35 league games on average for the first-team and reserve sides combined over the last two years (20 in 67).
Only Erling Haaland (36) scored more league goals for the Citizens than Veiga's tally of 11 in LaLiga, indicating that the Spanish maestro could provide the manager with an excellent goalscoring option from midfield, as the Germany international did during his time at The Etihad.
