Manchester City have outlined Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson as “realistic targets” for the summer, which will see the club aim to land a higher quota of English players, as reported by Charles Sale and Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail.

The aforementioned article notes Wilshere‘s injury problems—the Gunners midfielder’s career has been blighted by such issues and he hasn’t played since November—could stop City pressing on. However, Henderson entering the final year of his Reds contract may make him a more suitable acquisition.

John Cross of the Mirror believes City “may struggle to lure” Wilshere away from north London. Both Cross and the Daily Mail assert the notion City are looking to increase their number of English players, with Joe Hart remaining the side’s only consistent starter this season.

One has to ask if Wilshere would be worth it for the champions. At 23 years old he’s well experienced at the top level. However, aside from the consistent injury problems, he’s yet to deliver on his potential. He isn’t a consistent goalscorer, nor does he regularly create goals.

Wilshere isn’t an imposing physical presence and doesn’t possess extreme pace. His quality shines when the ball is at his feet and he’s put together a run of games, but this has rarely happened in recent times.

Henderson is currently Liverpool’s vice-captain and likely to take the armband full-time when Steven Gerrard moves on at the end of the season. Brendan Rodgers will do everything he can to keep the hard-working midfielder. Henderson is a combative all-rounder, someone who will put a crunching tackle in on the halfway line before moving forward to support attacks. He is developing into an Anfield leader.

City will likely need to sell to fund any costly moves. Cross and Darren Lewis of the Mirror believe Samir Nasri—who reportedly reacted “badly” to recently being dropped—and Edin Dzeko may be offered to Juventus in exchange for Paul Pogba.

The former Manchester United man has the capacity to set any suitors back a world-record triple-figure sum, as previously discussed by B/R UK’s Ryan Bailey and Jonathan Johnson:

Pogba could provide a natural replacement to Yaya Toure, who is currently linked with a move to Inter Milan, as reported by Mokbel. The Frenchman wouldn’t help City fill their English quota and could severely impact the club’s battle against UEFA’s financial fair play rules.

B/R UK’s Wilson previously suggested it is time for Toure’s all-encompassing role to change, perhaps making room for a new midfield partner:

Big changes are certainly likely to arrive at City in the summer. The squad’s average age of just under 29 is currently the Premier League’s oldest, and it’s beginning to show. Manuel Pellegrini’s men are now battling for a place in the Champions League rather than the title, with too many players failing to impress.

Wilshere isn’t the answer, but Henderson and Pogba would be excellent captures for the club.

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