Champions City aim to capture Algerian attacker Brahimi

Manchester City will attempt to land Porto playmaker and 2014 African Player of the Year Yacine Brahimi next summer, with the reigning Premier League champions reportedly prepared to meet the Algerian’s £40m buy-out clause.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side, 7/1 with Coral to win the title, are aiming to secure the 25-year-old’s signature for next season, after the talented midfielder has attracted interest from all around Europe with his dominant displays in Portugal.

The attacking Algerian was crowned African player of last year, following a superb season, beating the likes of City’s Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the coveted title.

Title hopefuls City have been heavily linked with a summer swoop for Porto’s prolific attacking midfielder, with Brahimi having also been tipped for a switch to England before leaving Granada last summer.

The Portuguese Primeira star, who began his senior career at French club Rennes, has been sensational this term for the Dragons, striking eight times this campaign, including a clinical Champions League hat-trick in his side’s 6-0 demolishing of BATE Borisov last September.

In this year’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament, Brahimi’s native Algeria crashed out in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Ivory Coast, with the astute attacker unable to prevent his country’s knock-out.

Pellegrini’s Etihad outfit could benefit massively from Brahimi’s brave attacking attributes, and a link-up with fellow African and AFCON champion Toure potentially a potent pairing for next season.

With Toure’s international teammate and recent new City arrival Wilfried Bony now set to lead the champions’ strikeforce, brilliant Brahimi would complete a possibly devastating attacking African trio in the blue half of Manchester.

However, City must contend with Financial Fair Play restrictions which could spell the end of Stevan Jovetic or Eden Dzeko’s career at the Etihad, with both strikers currently experiencing a poor run of goalscoring form.