Pep Guardiola planning further Manchester City transfers but remains coy on Alexis Sanchez chase

Pep Guardiola is planning further future additions to his high-flying Manchester City squad, but remains coy on the possibility of another move for Arsenal contract rebel Alexis Sanchez.

Unbeaten City lavished approximately £220m ($287.4m) on six new players during a busy summer transfer period and have quickly reaped the rewards, boasting a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League after winning nine of their opening 10 matches. They also reserved a place in the last 16 of the Champions League with two games to spare in addition to reaching the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Of particular focus for Guardiola during his third window at the helm was lowering the average age of the group and significantly strengthening his full-back options.

With those objectives now successfully achieved, the Catalan is planning to mould his squad on a smaller scale next year and could pursue further deals when the market reopens for business in January.

"Maybe we will add [in January] – we are going to decide," he was quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News at a press conference held before Sunday's (5 November) visit of Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium. "Next season we have to shake the team again.

"Last season there was a lot because the average age was 28 or 29 now we are a young team. But we'll buy players. We'll try to analyse and buy the right players."

One key target that City did not manage to obtain over the summer was Sanchez, whose proposed £60m switch to Manchester dramatically collapsed at the 11th hour on deadline day after Arsenal failed to sign AS Monaco's Thomas Lemar as a replacement.

The league leaders are expected to revisit their interest either in January or at the end of the season, when the Chilean will become a free agent, although Guardiola would not be drawn on the matter before his team try and contain the threat of Sanchez this weekend.

"He's an Arsenal player. His manager had to speak to him," he added. "You know the situation – before the transfer window was open, and now it is closed.

"He's an Arsenal player and is so important for them, for his talent that he has, you have to try and control him."

Guardiola also confirmed that long-serving City captain Vincent Kompany would not join up with the Belgium squad for upcoming friendlies against Mexico and Japan. Instead, he expressed hope that the 31-year-old would finally begin training during the international break after being kept out for more than two months as the result of yet more calf trouble.

"He is two months injured," he said. "He will stay here and hopefully start training."

Other than Kompany, City's only confirmed absentee is Benjamin Mendy. The world's most expensive defender underwent surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in September and is expected to remain sidelined until around the time of the Champions League semi-finals in late April/early May 2018.