Manchester City are ready to dip into the transfer market to sign a new defender in the windows ahead, but will face competition, according to a fresh report.
Manchester City “defensively fragile”
A 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur – Manchester City’s fifth consecutive loss in all competitions – demonstrated just how much of a rut Pep Guardiola’s side are in.
Just days after Guardiola was handed a new two-year contract at the Etihad, the reigning Premier League champions fell a mammoth eight points behind Liverpool ahead of their trip to Anfield in their upcoming Premier League game which could see them end next weekend almost out of the title race should they lose.
The City boss was quick to sum up their issues in the wake of the defeat to Spurs, pointing to their defensive issues in the wake of Rodri’s injury, and admitting his side were now in unknown territory.
“In this moment we are fragile defensively. We started really well, as normal, but we could not score and then after that, we conceded. After that, we conceded some more, which is difficult for our emotions right now.
“In eight years, we have never lived this kind of situation. Now we have to live it and break it by winning the next games, especially the next one. Now we see things in one way, maybe in a few weeks, we see it differently.”
Manchester City’s next five fixtures | |
|---|---|
Opponent | Competition |
Feyenoord (Home) | Champions League |
Liverpool (Away) | Premier League |
Nottingham Forest (Home) | Premier League |
Crystal Palace (Away) | Premier League |
Juventus (Away) | Champions League |
One way to fix that would be in the transfer market, and they have already been linked with a January move for a new midfielder ahead of the winter window. Now, they could also add a defender to their ranks in the near future.
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Manchester City keen on Premier League defender
That comes as Football Insider reveals that Pep Guardiola is a keen admirer of Bournemouth’s Illia Zabarnyi, as they look to tempt the Cherries into a sale.
The Ukrainian defender has enjoyed a strong spell on the south coast and was hailed as “one of the most exciting young CBs in Europe” after another “excellent” outing back in March by talent scout Jacek Kulig on X.
Still just 22 years old, the 45-cap international has caught the eye of several Premier League sides, with Tottenham and Chelsea both also believed to be interested in the talent.
The report claims that the centre-back “ticks a lot of boxes” for Guardiola and that Bournemouth “will be unable to stand in the way if a club can offer him Champions League football and significant wages” should he continue to impress this season.
“If a significant offer is made, the club would welcome the opportunity to make a significant profit which could be reinvested into their squad,” it adds, though any deal would likely have to come close to the £65m deal that saw Dominic Solanke move to Tottenham in the most recent summer transfer window.
Though City already have plenty of defenders on the books, they have struggled for consistency at the back amid injuries to the likes of John Stones and Nathan Ake, while Rúben Dias has not replicated his impressive form from previous campaigns this time around. Could Zabarnyi be the man to fix their defence?
