Manchester City have won four Premier League titles over the past five years under manager Pep Guardiola.

One player in Guardiola's ranks that has played a significant part in this domestic dominance is Bernardo Silva.

Since joining the Manchester club back in the summer of 2017, the midfielder has gone on to score 30 goals and provide 31 assists in 169 Premier League appearances.

Despite recent reports claiming that the Portugal international is fully focused on staying at City for this season, there have been previous claims linking him away from the club, mainly to Barcelona.

With that in mind, the remaining time left before the summer transfer window closes could give the Citizens and Guardiola the chance to bring in a potential replacement for Silva.

One figure that has been mentioned with a move to the Etihad Stadium that could fit the bill is Olympique Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta.

Since joining his current club back in 2020 from AC Milan, the Brazilian has scored 21 goals and delivered 14 assists in 80 appearances across all competitions.

To compare the two midfielders from their previous domestic campaigns, with both making 35 appearances each, the duo managed to achieve double figures for goal contributions, showing how capable they are at scoring and creating chances.

In fact, both Silva and Paqueta completed ten live-ball passes that led to a goal for their sides.

While this highlights the similarities between the two players, the Lyon star has some areas where he trumps the City figure.

For example, he was able to rack up a higher success percentage for the number of dribbles he attempted as well as making more tackles, pressures and blocks, in addition to winning a higher percentage of aerial duels.

Hailed as a player who is a "pure joy to watch" that has a left foot that "could tie a tie", by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Paqueta certainly has the credentials to be a suitable addition to City's squad.

Despite having a rather hefty reported price tag of £68m, securing a deal for the Brazil international would be a smart investment for City, especially if rumours linking Silva with a move away emerge again further down the line.