Man City are unlikely to sign the striker

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has said he does not expect to sign any strikers before the transfer deadline after failed attempts to land Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kane, the city’s main target this summer, announced his decision to stay at Tottenham while Ronaldo returns to Manchester United.

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He has left Guardiola without a replacement for Sergio Aguero and, after watching on Saturday that he saw his team thrash Arsenal 5-0, he said he does not expect that to change before Tuesday’s deadline.

“I don’t think so,” he said when asked if a player would arrive before the transfer period ended. “We don’t need a striker because we scored five goals. You’ll see during the season how many people say we do [need one] when we don’t win.

“It’s a fantastic staff. All I can say is thank you to Txiki [Begiristain] and Ferran [Soriano]. They know I never ask for a player. Let’s try. Sometimes we can do it and sometimes we can’t ”.

In the absence of a recognized striker, Ferran Torres was deployed as a central striker against Arsenal and scored two goals and an assist.

The 21-year-old is mostly a winger, but Guardiola suggested he could play as a striker more often this season, especially with Gabriel Jesus to the right of the three strikers.

“He played incredibly well,” Guardiola said of Torres, who scored seven Premier League goals last season.

“In this position he makes moves like the best strikers at the back, like Jamie Vardy. He’s a good finalist and he’s very young.

“Man City did an amazing job buying him, a player who can play in three positions. We are incredibly pleased with his movement, his work ethic and a lot of things.”