Scouting Reported Manchester City Transfer Target Jack Wilshere

Given the sense of disappointment surrounding Manchester City at the end of last season, it is expected they will now embark on a fairly significant summer spending spree.

Manuel Pellegrini, the City manager, and Txiki Begiristain, the club’s sporting director, are likely to have drawn up their summer transfer plans well in advance of the window's opening, but as yet, no new arrivals have been confirmed.

It seems their principal targets are Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne, Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.

Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

De Bruyne, who scored 10 goals and managed 20 assists in the Bundesliga last season, is very much on City’s radar, according to Alex Richards of the Mirror. Richards believes De Bruyne will hold talks with his current employers before making a decision on whether to join City. 

As reported by the Guardian, City have already made two bids for Liverpool’s Sterling, both of which have been rejected. Expect them to return with an improved offer in the coming days as they look to add some pace to their squad. Sterling has just two years left on his contract, which surely gives City some muscle during negotiations.

Pogba, who is likely to be at the centre of a fierce battle between a host of Europe’s top clubs this summer, is probably the club’s priority. He would help add some much-needed dynamism to a City midfield that looked insipid and lacking in power at times last season.

However, Jack Wilshere has also emerged as a possible target, with Steve Stammer of the Mirror reporting that City are keen on the England midfielder, with Arsenal set to offer him a new deal to ward of interest.

Whether City would realistically be able to land Wilshere remains unclear. Arsene Wenger appears to be a huge admirer of his talents, and he will be reluctant to lose another of his star players to City, given the number who have made the switch from the Emirates to the Etihad in recent seasons.

Wilshere’s home-grown status is likely to be attractive to City in light of the paucity of players in their squad who fit that particular criteria, but what would City be getting for what would likely be a significant outlay?

Yves Logghe/Associated Press

Wilshere is clearly a hugely talented player, a naturally gifted midfielder with a superb range of passing. He burst onto the scene to huge fanfare. His performance as a 19-year-old against Barcelona in the Champions League in 2011 was majestic and suggested Arsenal and, indeed, England had found themselves a potentially world-class player.

But he has, so far at least, failed to live up to his early billing. Talented he may be; disciplined and intelligent he perhaps is not. 

There were times last season when his obvious quality was being undermined by his lack of tracking off the ball, which has been particularly damaging to Arsenal when he plays in a deep-lying midfield role. Too much space is left in behind and causes problems for their back four. His tendency to hold onto the ball too long has also been an issue.

He must become better at the less glamorous parts of the game if he is to become the player he could be. 

However, City will see the enormous talent he has and believe they can be the ones to harness it. In terms of touch, control, passing and appreciation of space, there aren't many players who can match him, certainly very few 23-year-olds who also tick the home-grown box. 

Uncredited/Associated Press

His wonderful brace for England in the recent 3-2 win over Slovenia was the latest example of his undoubted quality and suggests he could be ready to make a more significant impact in 2015/16. 

It hasn't quite happened for him yet at Arsenal. When Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri left and Wilshere came back from his first major injury, there was a sense that he was the natural option to become Arsenal's key central player. 

But further injuries and periods of underwhelming form have seen him fail to take on that mantle. Mezut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla can all claim to have been much more influential for the Gunners in the last 12 months.

Perhaps a move is what's needed for him to finally realise his potential, and City, it seems, could be interested.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.