Manchester City are already planning for life after Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure and are already looking at long-term replacements for the duo.
Both captain Kompany and Toure will go down as two of the greatest players in the history of Manchester City but it's obvious that they will not be around forever.
Kompany has been in riddled by injuries in recent years while Toure, though he has returned to the City side with great distinction, is also not getting any younger at the age of 33.
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And City are well aware of the need to find sufficient replacements for two players who have been the spine of their team and integral to their success over the years.
According to The Daily Mail, City see Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and Sporting midfielder William Carvalho as replacements for both Kompany and Toure.
Van Dijk has been one of the Premier League's top defenders since signing for Southampton and City reportedly had someone at St Mary's recently to watch the Dutchman produce an inspired defensive performance in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool.
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Southampton paid just £11.5 million to sign him from Celtic but his enhanced reputation would mean they would look to make a considerable profit on van Dijk. There is even a possibility that City go in for him in January in order to fix their leaky defence.
The need to sign Carvalho is less desperate at present, with Toure now part of Guardiola's plans after being brought back into the picture.
However the Portugal international, who has impressive physical and technical qualities, is a target for City, though Sporting would not budge for anything less than the £42m release clause the 24-year old has in his contract.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Virgil Van Dijk, Vincent Kompany