Not too long ago the Bundesliga wasn't considered as one of the top three leagues in Europe.

Those places were always reserved for the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A and that can be seen in the list of recent winners in the Champions League. Between Bayern Munich lifting the trophy in 2001 and then again in 2013 no German side lifted the trophy whereas England saw their clubs win it three times, Italy the same and Spanish sides took four victories in that period.

It was a barren spell before the Bundesliga's watershed moment - the 2013 final. Bayern Munich would lift the trophy beating fellow German side Borussia Dortmund in the final, it was a moment for the German domestic game to rejoice and it has since gone on from strength to strength, dislodging Serie A from the top three.

Pep Guardiola was a large part of securing the league's longer term appeal in building on the Bayern side and whilst not winning the Champions League in his time his old team are arguably in their best health in years. Guardiola got the German game instantly as he now hopes to do at Manchester City and he'll no doubt try to attract some of the best players he saw week in week out to the club.

So here are FIVE we could be seeing in the Premier League in the near future...

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Sign him and City win the title - sounds simple enough doesn't it? A forward line of Aubameyang and Sergio Aguero with players like Kenvi De Bruyne and David Silva providing the chances would be one to both fear and cherish.

They'd go very close to the Champions League too and that's Guardiola's ultimate aim - make City kings of Europe for the very first time.

Julian Weigl

weigl

Weigl is going to be a real star over the next decade and Dortmund will be desperate to keep hold of him because of that. He dictates the tempo of a match despite his young age and that makes him a player bound to be of interest to Guardiola.

It would take a massive bid to try and dislodge him but if there's any side in the Premier League that can do it, it's probably City.

Jonathan Tah

Jonathan Tah only turned 20 earlier this year but has already left an impression at both Hamburg and now at his latest club Bayer Leverkusen. The young German joined Leverkusen at the start of last season and managed to win a place in the side going on to make 29 appearances.

With City already signing John Stones bringing in Tah would allow for a defensive partnership to flourish in the years to come.

Ricardo Rodriguez

Everton v VfL Wolfsburg - UEFA Europa League Group Stage Matchday One Group H

It feels like Rodriguez has been around for ages but he's actually only 23. The Swiss international would be ideal for City whose left back area could do with some work.

Rodriguez is better than Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov in this position and with his great left foot he'd be well suited to when Guardiola asks his full-backs to tuck into central midfield.

Mitchell Weiser

Mitchell Weiser

Weiser can play as both a right midfielder and a right back and was part of the Hertha Berlin side that impressed so much last season. Much like City's left side of defence, the right could also do with improving and Weiser might be the answer.

He's a lot younger than Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna but Guardiola might feel that makes him easier to mould into his type of player - watch this space.