With Manchester City's xG per Premier League game dipping from 2.06 last season to 1.13 this time around (stats sourced from Twenty3), one of the most deadly attacking units in Premier League history is clearly struggling. 

Only three years ago, Pep Guardiola's attack broke a divisional record for goals scored in a single campaign and many of the players who helped them plunder 106 in the 2017/18 season are still there. 

While a crucial player, Gabriel Jesus has struggled to replicate some of the form Sergio Aguero showed in his peak amid a number of injuries for the Argentine and it seems the club are lining up a refreshment on that front next summer. 

Writing in his mailbag, The Athletic's Sam Lee was responding to whether or not the club would attempt to sign a centre-forward in 2021.

The fan writing in raised such names as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, with Lee responding positively on the last one. 

''I think they will go for Haaland (Real Madrid are very well-positioned for Mbappe), which shows that they will be ready to spend some serious money,'' he wrote. 

''But whether they actually get him or not, I’m much less sure about.''

Man City transfer news Erling Haaland

Having recently surpassed the likes of Michael Owen and Ronaldo in terms of Champions League goals scored, Haaland is taking his ridiculous goal scoring rate onto the biggest stage now. 

In the last week alone, he's scored seven times in just 166 minutes of action, proving himself both domestically and on the continent. 

Still, it's easy to see why Lee would be way of City's chances. As he points out in the piece, even a club as rich as them struggle to win busy auctions for Europe's in-demand players.

Frenkie De Jong is the example he brings up with the Dutchman eventually going to Barcelona, while the likes of Jorginho and Alexis Sanchez joined Chelsea and Manchester United respectively despite interest from the Etihad. 

One of the most lethal strikers in Europe at the moment, there'd surely be a lot of competition for any team wanting to sign him.