The €100m signing Manchester City wanted before switching focus to Ayyoub Bouaddi

Manchester City reportedly wanted Aleksandar Pavlovic before switching their focus to the signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi this summer.

According to German football expert Christian Falk, writing in his latest column for CF Bayern Insider, Man City held some talks over signing Pavlovic earlier this year.

The 22-year-old has shone at Bayern and it seems City looked at him as one of their top targets, only to be told that he favoured remaining at the Allianz Arena.

Still, it seems City were really keen on Pavlovic and could have been ready to pay as much as €100m to sign him this summer, according to Falk.

Manchester City rejected by Aleksandar Pavlovic

City signed three new central midfield players this summer to cope with Rodri’s departure, with Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez joining Bouaddi at the Etihad Stadium.

Still, it seems Pavlovic is another option they explored, while the Athletic also revealed an enquiry for Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

On City’s Pavlovic interest, Falk said: “This is an exclusive story I can share with you all. It’s very interesting because it was incredibly concrete. Manchester City had Aleksandar Pavlović as their number one option for the position.

“First talks were already in March and they said they could pay €100m [£85.8m]. This was just the starting idea, it could have been more. Pavlović took time to decide – he’s very young at 22 – and told City he needed to think about it. In the end, he decided to stay at Bayern Munich.

“So, there was no concrete offer at Bayern Munich, but the club was more than aware of the interest.