It's as hard as ever to make a squad. Lesson I learned from last year is make sure you have a squad and not just a good 11 and to have way more patience and faith.
I reckon Laporte is a must have. Ederson, Laporte, Van dijk, Alexander Arnold and Aguero are my my must haves.
I think it's best to invest heavy in defence and attack as then there are still good budget options in midfield like Fraser, Zaha, Tielemans to name a few. The only issue then is surely need one of Salah or Sterling in. De Bruyne looks great value at 9.5 as well he will have a big season if he's fit