Manchester City’s response to their ­season of ­struggle? Go big in the January window, go again in the ­summer and – in all likelihood – go even bigger. Those are the vibes among Premier League executives charged with looking after their club’s recruitment,

City and Madrid clashed in the quarter-finals of the competition last year, with Carlo Ancelotti's men winning 4-3 on penalties after the first leg finished 3-3 before the second leg ended 1-1. Madrid of course went on to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final to lift the trophy for a 15th timre