The buildup to the summer transfer window has now begun, with rumours and speculation continuing to swirl as Manchester City eye possible reinforcements.

The 2018-19 champions did not bring in a single player during the January transfer window, despite suffering a defensive shortage for much of the campaign so far.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up the latest news on possible comings and goings at the Etihad.

Thursday morning's Manchester City transfer talk news roundup:

Manchester City open to re-signing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz?

Manchester City are reportedly giving consideration to re-signing Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.

When allowing the Brazilian to move to the West Midlands last summer, Pep Guardiola requested that a buy-back clause was included in the agreement.

With the 22-year-old having gotten a season's worth of Premier League football under his belt, Bleacher Report claims that his performances have not gone unnoticed at the Etihad Stadium.

After costing £15m, Luiz has been provided with 25 starts and eight substitute outings for the relegation-threatened outfit.

Work permit issues have previously prevented Luiz from representing City, who instead found himself out on loan at Spanish side Girona.

Guardiola has acknowledged in the past that Luiz could have been a useful member of his first-team squad.

Bayern Munich 'want Liverpool to double Thiago Alcantara bid'

Bayern Munich and Liverpool are reportedly still some way apart when it comes to their valuations of Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

The 29-year-old has again been a key player for the German champions this season but his contract at the Allianz Arena is due to expire at the end of next June.

A recent report claimed that Liverpool were in 'very advanced' negotiations with Bayern over a move for the midfielder, who has won seven Bundesliga titles during his time in Germany.

However, according to Bild, the two sides are struggling to come to an agreement over a transfer fee.

The report claims that Bayern want €40m (£36.2m) for the Spain international, but Jurgen Klopp's side are not prepared to pay more than €20m (£18.1m) for a player who has less than 12 months to run on his contract.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus have also been credited with an interest.

More transfer news from Manchester City:

Manchester United, Manchester City to battle for Mikel Oyarzabal?
Manchester United and Manchester City are both interested in signing Real Sociedad attacker Mikel Oyarzabal, according to a report. Read more.