Manchester City have identified Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho as the man to add power to their engine room. The Portugal international has long been linked with a move to the Premier League and Pep Guardiola could finally bring him to British shores as he seeks to bolster his central midfield options.

Chelsea and Arsenal have also been sniffing around Carvalho's signature, while talkSPORT reports Everton failed in a move for the 24-year-old last summer. City are looking to gazump their Premier League rivals, though, with question marks over their current personnel.

Ilkay Gundogan suffered a horrible knee injury earlier in the season and is out for a substantial period of time, while uncertainty surrounds the futures of Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, who are out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Carvalho has made 27 appearances for Sporting this season and has garnered a wealth of Champions League experience with the Portuguese giants in recent years. The midfield enforcer was also an integral part of his country's Euro 2016 victory, starting five times as Fernando Santos' men triumphed in France.

If City are serious about bringing Carvalho to the Etihad Stadium they will have to activate the release clause in his contract, which currently stands at £35m. The former Cercle Brugge star's current deal at the Estadio Jose Alvalade expires in 2020.

William Carvalho
Carvalho is on the wishlist of many European clubs. Getty Images

Meanwhile, rumours persist over the future of City forward Sergio Aguero. The Argentina striker has had to make do with a place on the substitutes' bench as Gabriel Jesus lights up the league, and The Times claims Paris Saint-Germain want to lure the two-time Premier League winner to the French capital and have spoken with the City hierarchy over a potential deal that could be worth up to £80m. PSG director of football Patrick Kluivert is also looking at Arsenal talisman Alexis Sanchez.