Pep Guardiola is planning to rip up his Manchester City squad and bring in as many as six new players, with Ryan Bertrand emerging as a surprise summer target. The City manager threw in the towel in the title race on Sunday after their season hit a new low with a 4-0 defeat at Everton that left them 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea and once again highlighted the deficiencies in the squad Guardiola inherited last summer.

The defence is the biggest concern and City could even try to address some of the problems in the final two weeks of this month’s transfer window, with Guardiola keen to make additions, before carrying out major surgery in the summer. Guardiola is understood to want two new full-backs, two central defenders, a midfielder and another forward on top of Gabriel Jesus, who is still waiting to be formally registered following his £27 million move from Palmeiras.

City may also move for another goalkeeper with Willy Caballero out of contract in the summer, although it remains to be seen if the manager seeks another back-up to Claudio Bravo or considers moving for a new No. 1 given the Chilean’s struggles so far.

It is possible City could attempt a double swoop on Southampton at the end of the season, with centre-half Virgil van Dijk already on their radar and left-back Bertrand highly rated by the club. Bertrand would fill a homegrown player slot for City and has already proved he can roam up and down the flank, as Guardiola demands from his full-backs. The 27-year-old joined Southampton from Chelsea and has matured into one of the best left-backs in the country along with Danny Rose, whom Tottenham Hotspur will not sell, despite Guardiola being an admirer of him and fellow Spurs full-back Kyle Walker.