Man City Close to Quadruple

Manchester City has never been better placed to win all four trophies in one season.

A further boost to the chances should be delivered this week with British media reporting that City will break its own transfer record by paying Athletic Bilbao 57 million pounds for Aymeric Laporte, Reuters reported.

The Frenchman, who would be eligible for the Champions League, is considered one of Europe’s most promising defenders and would provide cover at left back, where City has been weakened by injury, or at the heart of the back four.

Laporte’s arrival ahead of Wednesday’s transfer deadline would be a welcome boost for Pep Guardiola as he ponders how to martial his resources on four fronts.

That task is made much easier by City’s 12-point lead in the Premier League which they are on course to win in record time, well ahead of the Manchester United team of 2000-01 which did so with five games to spare.

City is also well placed on the other three fronts with a final berth secured against Arsenal in the League Cup, a comfortable-looking Champions League last-16 tie against Basel coming up and a place booked in the FA Cup fifth round. Only one British team, Celtic in 1967, have won all four major trophies in one season, but others have just gone close.

Liverpool bagged the League, European Cup and League Cup in 1984 while Manchester United secured an even more illustrious treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in 1999.

Eight years later Chelsea competed on all four fronts until May 1 when Liverpool knocked them out in the Champions League semifinals. The Blues went on to win both domestic cups and finished second in the Premier League.