City will take some beating - with or without Kane

Manchester City remain strong favourites to retain their title. All the ingredients that made them such worthy champions last season remain in place

With the new Premier League season almost upon us, transfer questions hang over most of the major title contenders. Will Manchester City succeed in their pursuits of Harry Kane and Jack Grealish? Can Chelsea persuade Borussia Dortmund to sell Erling Haaland, and if so who will leave to fund it? Manchester United are hoping to add defenders Raphael Varane and Kieran Trippier to their squad, in addition to Jadon Sancho – but will those deals make them contenders again? And what about Liverpool, where the uncertainty over Jordan Henderson’s future threatens to disrupt the spirit at Anfield?

In truth, regardless of how all of those questions are answered over the coming weeks, Manchester City remain strong favourites to retain their title. All the ingredients that made them such worthy champions