Manchester City are plotting to once again become the Premier League’s dominant force - after deciding to unleash Pep 2.0 ahead of schedule.

City boss is the driving force behind a spectacular £250million transfer window splurge that could bring as many as six new faces to the Etihad this month after a huge statement of intent which has seen back-to-back Golden Boot winner sign a nine-and-a-half year contract extension that will see him bank a salary package of £240million.

The champions’ plan to wait for the official appointment of new director of football Hugo Viana in the summer has been scrapped.

But Viana has been working alongside current deal-maker Txiki Begeristain as the Blues to close out deals Lens’ Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov and Brazilian teenage centre-back Vitor Reis of Palmeiras and ’ Italian international full-back Andrea Cambiaso at a cost of almost £190million.

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City already have teenage Argentine playmaker Claudio Echeverri arriving after the South American Under-20 Championships next month. And Guardioila also wants a new defensive lynchpin - even though UEFA rules stipulate only three new arrivals can be registered for the .

It is a huge statement of intent by City after Guardiola's bid for a fifth successive title was wrecked by injuries and an ageing squad.

Guardiola explained: “We are going to try to do something right now when we were going to do it in the summer.

“It has advanced a few months because of the situation. We would not be doing it (buying new players) if our players were fit but today I think we have two central defenders, no more than that, and with our holding midfielders we are struggling.

“The situation means we have to do it sooner rather than later. After eight years together we have so many players who are more than thirty years old and the other reason is the amount of problems we have with players’ availability. It is an absolutely normal process, especially because we’ve spent less than eleven teams in the in the last five years.

“All the big clubs in the Premier League have done it - and now, because our players are not consistent, we have to add players. We have no other option. We don’t have alternatives.

“If the players were fit we would not go to the market. Absolutely not.”

City travel to struggling Ipswich facing a huge fight to make the top four after a dramatic slump which has seen them win three of their last 13 Premier League games.

Guardiola has also been unable to come up with the solution for a raft of injuries - especially the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the season with a torn cruciate. Haaland is one of those struggling to be fit for the trip to Portman Road, with Ruben Dias and also missing. Kevin De Bruyne, , , Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku have also spent extensive periods on the sidelines.

And with a raft of several players now struggling with the physical demands of implementing the manager’s strategy after reaching their 30s, Guardiola suggested that a number of big names who have helped him win six of the last seven titles will be joining AC Milan-bound out of the door.

He did, however, hint that De Bruyne’s gradual return to fitness and form could see the Belgian rewarded with a contract extension when his current deal runs out with his 34th birthday approaching in the summer.

Guardiola added: “Of course it can happen. Kevin feels better. He talks about ‘I feel better, I feel better because I have been struggling a lot for five years.’ There is no player at that age, even younger, who can not play without niggles or problems.

“But some problems are more difficult to handle than others - and Kevin has struggled a lot with those problems and shown an incredible work ethic."

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