Manchester City are a couple of points behind Arsenal right now, and the January transfer window could be their chance to shake things up.

January's almost here, so expect loads of rumours when the winter transfer window opens. Last January, Pep Guardiola's team dropped £180 million, which is the most they've ever spent in a winter window.

So, what could Man City do in January?

New Players

The city's doing well in both the Premier League and Champions League, so their squad's in pretty good shape. Still, Pep Guardiola keeps saying they need to get better, which suggests they might still bring in some new faces in January. They're already being linked to one big move.

Antoine Semenyo's been on fire this season, catching the eye of big clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United. His old coach even said Antoine could play anywhere he wants. Even so, City seems to be leading the pack to sign the Ghanaian. Even though he just signed a new contract back in July, he could be available for £65 million next month.

With eight goals and three assists already, the 25-year-old is near the top of the list for Premier League goals and assists. Only Erling Haaland and Phil Foden have scored more than three times for Guardiola's team in the league, and Semenyo would definitely give them another goal threat at the Etihad.

Besides Semenyo, it's not clear who else City might go after this winter. They're interested in long-term targets like Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise and Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong. But those deals probably won't happen next month.

Marc Guehi is another name that's been mentioned with a move to City. The England player was close to joining Liverpool in the summer, but that deal fell apart. The centre-back's contract with Crystal Palace is up in the summer, and a bunch of top clubs want to sign him for free. City's one of those clubs and might try to get a deal done in January if Palace decides to sell him.

Players Leaving

A few City players might want to leave this winter, especially with the 2026 World Cup coming up. If Semenyo joins, that would almost definitely mean one of Oscar Bobb, Savinho, or Omar Marmoush leaving.

Bobb hasn't been getting much playing time, only playing 13 league minutes in the last couple of months. He hasn't really impressed when he's had the chance to play. The winger hasn't scored any goals and only has one assist, which was on the first day of the season. The 22-year-old might look for more playing time elsewhere, and Crystal Palace is supposedly interested.

Savinho also hasn't started many games across all competitions. He was almost on his way to Tottenham for £70 million in the summer. But the 21-year-old ended up staying at the Etihad, extending his contract until 2031. Guardiola recently said, "He will become a top, top-class player." But with another winger coming in, he might start looking at other options again. Spurs will probably be interested again.

Marmoush just arrived in Manchester last January, but he might already be on his way out. It's clear he's got talent, but it's not clear where he fits in Guardiola's team. Haaland's the main striker, and it seems like other players are preferred out wide and in the number ten position. A knee injury hasn't helped his start to the season, and he hasn't started in the league since August. Clubs like Liverpool and Tottenham would be interested in Marmoush if he becomes available.

Besides the attackers, a few defenders might also leave the Etihad next month. Nathan Aké has been with City for almost five years now. But he's not a regular starter in Guardiola's back four anymore. With the World Cup coming up, playing time will be important for the Dutchman. He's only started one league game so far this season, so he'll probably look at other options in January. Bournemouth and Crystal Palace have both been linked to the 30-year-old.

A goalkeeper might also be on his way out next month. James Trafford arrived in the summer but quickly lost his spot when Gianluigi Donnarumma was signed. Despite that, Guardiola has told the incredible goalkeeper to stay here next month. Stefan Ortega might still leave, since he's fallen further down the list.

City cruised to an easy 3-0 win against West Ham before Christmas, staying close behind Arsenal by just two points.

Guardiola, who's won a load of league titles with City, is known to be strict. He mentioned that the team was weighed before their short break and told to watch what they ate before their game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

If City wins, they'll be at the top before Arsenal plays Brighton.

Even though Guardiola said he indulged a bit over the holidays, he expects his players to stay in shape.

"I think I gained, like, eight pounds with all the eating and drinking, which is great," Guardiola joked.

Then, turning serious, he said about his team, "They've been super disciplined for, like, forever."

Last season was hard with all the injuries, but they've always been great.

Everyone I've coached for the last 10 years has been this way. We have standards at the club, and everyone knows what's expected.

City's on a roll with seven straight wins, and they're still fighting for several cups.

I'd love to be way ahead, but it is what it is. "Arsenal's doing great, but we're right there," Guardiola said.

It's still December, we're doing well in the Champions League and the Premier League, we're in the League Cup semi-finals, and the FA Cup is coming up soon.

Some key players are coming back, so we'll just take it one game at a time and see what happens.

Saturday's game will be emotional since Forest just lost their legend, John Robertson, who was 72.

Robertson was a star in Forest's two European Cup wins, setting up a goal in 1979 and scoring the winning goal in 1980.

Playing Forest away is always hard, especially now, with the loss of an important person in their history like John Robertson, Guardiola said.

Even though Forest is close to the relegation zone, Guardiola thinks playing at their home ground will be tough.

It's always a really hard place to play—because of the fans and their team's quality, he said.

They've spent a lot of money in recent years and got promoted to the Premier League, and they're a good team.