Man City prepare triple raid on same club hours after Arsenal humiliation

Manchester City are preparing to bounce back after their emphatic Community Shield with three big signings from a Premier League rival.

Enzo Maresca's first competitive match as Manchester City manager couldn't have gone much worse, as his side were thrashed 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield.

Within one minute of kick-off, Ricardo Calafiori put Premier League winners Arsenal 1-0 up before goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard secured victory,

Understandably, the result has caused some concerns amongst City fans ahead of their Premier League season opener against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

Many have claimed that the loss proves that there is still business that needs to be done in the ongoing transfer window ahead of it closing on September 1, just two weeks away.

And it appears that club officials may agree, with a new report claiming that Manchester City have made contact with Chelsea over the possibility of signing Malo Gusto this summer.

According to TeamTalk, City enquired about signing Gusto earlier in the summer, as Maresca hopes to reunite with the defender having worked with him at Chelsea last season.

However, City withdrew their interest after it was made clear that the London club were looking for more than £70million to part ways with the France international, a fee deemed to be far above what City were willing to pay.

READ MORE: Man City fans worried after star 'used completely wrong' by Enzo Maresca in Arsenal defeat

That being said, it appears that City are ready to return to negotiations ahead of the final days of the window, with the club hierarchy seemingly confident that a deal could still be done.

Enzo Maresca targeting three Chelsea stars in summer raid

City relaunching their pursuit of Gusto comes as they continue to work on a deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

Amid the continued interest in Fernandez this summer, Chelsea set a 5pm deadline last Friday for City, or any other club, to submit an offer for the Argentina international.

That deadline passed, and no offer arrived, but following Rodri's expected departure to Barcelona in the coming days, it is expected City will ramp up their pursuit of Fernandez, with an official offer to be lodged before the window closes.

But any deal for Fernandez won't be cheap, with the Blues seemingly setting a at £120m, which would break City’s transfer record for the second time this summer having completed the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.

And, despite the persistant links, Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has repeatedly made it clear that he would like the midfielder to stay put, with his current Chelsea contract keeping him at Stamford Bridge until 2032.

Alongside Rodri's move to Barcelona, it is believed that City are preparing for the sale of Savinho, who is among Tottenham Hotspur's top transfer targets for the end of the window.

Should the Brazilian leave the Etihad, then another Chelsea player is reportedly seen as his ideal replacement, as Pedro Neto has been linked with a move to join City.

However, if City want to secure Neto's signature they may have to move quickly as Al Hilal are reportedly progressing with a deal for the Portugal international, who is currently valued at around £100m.