Man City Starlet Oleksandr Zinchenko 'Dreams' of Staying at the Etihad Amid £16m Offer From Wolves
Manchester City starlet Oleksandr Zinchenko enjoyed a successful breakthrough season in Pep Guardiola’s first team last year, and has clearly caught the eye of a number of admirers beyond his Spanish manager.
The 21-year-old has been subject of strong interest from Wolves, with the newly promoted club having had a club record £16m bid accepted for the Ukrainian.
However, the Mirror have reported that Zinchenko is very keen to remain at the Etihad for the upcoming Premier League campaign, despite interest from outside and the potential offer of more regular first-team football.
“To be honest, I think Manchester City is one of the best teams in the world right now,” Zinchenko,” said Zinchenko, who has also attracted interest from Fulham, as quoted by the Mirror.
“Everyone dreams of playing here, and that goes for me as well. I try to learn every single day and I’m going to fight here.
“I’m ready for everything because I have to be professional. You don’t know what can happen in the future, but I’m dreaming of staying here.”
It is a strong sign of ambition from the young midfielder, who will face continued competition for game time from the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva and Fernandinho should he remain at the Etihad next season.
However, City’s failure to land Jorginho from Napoli could mean there is a greater role for Zinchenko to play under Guardiola next term. The Ukraine international was often deployed at left back when selected last season, but City’s struggles to recruit a new midfielder this summer could work in the youngster’s favour.
Wolves, meanwhile, recently completed the £5m capture of Joao Moutinho from Monaco, which could suggest that the Premier League new boys are preparing for the eventuality of Zinchenko opting against completing his move to Molineux in favour of staying at City.