Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola could be about to get his hands on a replacement for Riyad Mahrez by signing one of Europe's most promising young wingers, according to reports.
Who is the Mahrez replacement going to be?
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has given a crucial update in Manchester City's pursuit of Rennes winger Jeremy Doku, stating on X: "Man City, advancing on Jeremy Doku deal as new verbal proposal close to €55/60m package is being discussed with Rennes.
There’s competition but City hope to reach an agreement with Rennes this week — after green light on player side since beginning of August."
Sky Sports also confirm that Manchester City are in talks with Rennes over Doku as they look to bring in another offensive player at the Etihad Stadium following the departure of Riyad Mahrez to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli for £30 million.
It is believed that the Belgium international has emerged as a 'leading contender' to succeed Mahrez at Manchester City. West Ham United have emerged as rival suitors for the £25k-a-week ace and had a bid rejected to try and bring him to the London Stadium earlier this month, though they are unlikely to win a race against the treble winners.
Football Insider claim that personal terms have already been agreed between Manchester City and Doku while a personal 'intervention' from Guardiola has brought the proposed deal 'very close' to full completion.
Doku found himself on the Rennes substitutes bench last week amid speculation surrounding his impending move to the Premier League champions, which looks like it is now edging closer to becoming a reality.
How good actually is Jeremy Doku?
Doku possesses plenty of flair and exciting attributes and is as highly recommended as they come, having previously been hailed as "incredibly quick" by none other than Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe in the past, cited by Get French Football News.
Bringing in an exciting young talent following a period of excellent service from Algeria international Mahrez will be one of Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain's biggest priorities in the remainder of the window and it now looks as if they are close to getting one of their main targets on board.
In his time at Ligue 1 side Rennes, Doku has made 92 appearances across all competitions, registering 12 goals and ten assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
Of course, elite clubs pay a premium for potential in the modern day and it is easy to see what qualities the 21-year-old can bring to the table.
According to WhoScored, Doku evaded his opposition marker with regularity last term, completing 3.3 dribbles per fixture in the French top flight. He also gained an average match rating of 7.08/10 in Ligue 1, showing commendable consistency in his displays.
FBRef illustrate that the Borgerhout-born attacker has excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions concerning the art of progressive carries, managing 6.94 per 90 minutes in the last 365 days, putting him in the 99th percentile for this metric.
Under the tutelage of Guardiola and his coaching staff, Doku could go on to become a Premier League star with the correct guidance if he is to move to Manchester City.
