Manchester City Reportedly Still Keen on Tanguy Ndombele After Summer Miss

Manchester City's desire to sign Tanguy Ndombele hasn't waned after Lyon turned down a bid worth £44.5 million for the midfielder during the summer.

French source Le10 Sport (h/t Anthony Chapman of The Sun) has reported Citizens manager Pep Guardiola will stay on the case of the 21-year-old powerhouse before of the start of the winter transfer window.

Guardiola wants City to continue watching Ndombele, but signing the budding star won't be easy. There's interest in the player from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, according to Chapman.

There's also the not-so-small matter of the player extending his contract with Lyon earlier in September. Goal's Jamie Smith reported Ndomble is now set to be on Lyon's books until 2023.

The development is likely to increase the potential fee, particularly since Ndombele has been impressing this season. He was arguably the best player on the pitch when Lyon stunned City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the UEFA Champions League recently:

He's also been catching the eye in Ligue 1:

The downside of these performances for City is how they are bringing Ndombele to greater attention:

Guardiola will take heart from City's ability to outbid almost any club on the continent. He'll also know how City have a greater need than most for a midfield talisman with Ndombele's combination of technique and power.

The ability to break up play and stride forward from deep aren't often allied with a flair for threading passes between the lines. Four assists from 12 appearances in all competitions are ample proof of Ndombele's vision and guile.

City need those qualities since Guardiola values a deep-lying playmaker more than most managers. His options at the position are bare, with little depth behind 33-year-old Fernandinho.

Guardiola's options include Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden, two midfielders more comfortable further forward. Fabian Delph can also slot into midfield, but he lacks the strength of Ndombele.

City recently experimented with moving centre-back John Stones into midfield against Oxford United in the Carabao Cup. It doesn't feel like a long-term solution, though:

Signing Ndombele would give City a young anchorman set for stardom who could underpin midfield at the highest level for the foreseeable future.