Man City now monitoring talent on just £270k-a-year

Manchester City have now joined the race to sign a new defender for Pep Guardiola, and already have an advantage over their rivals in the race for his signature.

Manchester City splash the cash

It was an uncharacteristically hefty January transfer window from Manchester City as the defending Premier League champions look to rescue their dreadful campaign to date. A 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal in their most recent outing left them two points outside the top four, and a massive fifteen points off the lead with Liverpool still having a game in hand on those below them.

To try and close the gap, Guardiola’s side shelled out on Abdukodir Khusanov from RC Lens, alongside fellow new defender Vitor Reis, who arrived from Palmeiras. Further forward, they signed Bundesliga sensation Omar Marmoush following his freescoring start to the season with Eintracht Frankfurt, before they shelled out once more on deadline day to sign Nico Gonzalez from Porto in a bid to fix their glaring issues in midfield following the injury to Rodri at the beginning of the season.

“This is the perfect opportunity for me at this stage of my career,” their deadline day addition told the media. “I am 23, and I want to test myself in England. There’s no better club than Manchester City for me to do that. Look at the squad they have here – it’s unbelievable, full of world-class players. There isn’t a footballer in the world who would not want to be part of this set-up.”

Meanwhile, other reports suggest that City have already agreed a deal to sign Andrea Cambiaso from Juventus in the summer after balking at the initial price tag for the defender in January, and he may not be the only fresh face over the summer.

Man City now monitoring “phenomenal” star

Now, reports in Spain claim that Manchester City are keeping close tabs on young defender Miguel Gutierrez as they look to rejuvenate their backline. Josko Gvardiol has been asked to play on the left-side of defence so far this season, something that he has done to good effect, but there is a feeling that the Cityzens are missing a natural left-back in the squad after Sergio Gomez failed to make an impression during his time at the Etihad.

Gutierrez, who was hailed as “phenomenal” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig on X, has enjoyed his time in La Liga with Girona, grabbing a goal and four assists so far this campaign.

The report claims that Liverpool are the most interested in acquiring his services, while Manchester City are also mentioned among the sides “monitoring the situation” of the 23-year-old.

Of course, City would likely have an advantage in any deal for the Spanish U21 international, with Girona a part of the City Group and the pair enjoying a strong relationship with Guardiola’s side having signed Savinho last summer. Meanwhile, Gutierrez also shares an agent with several of Man City’s stars, including Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and John Stones.

With a 30m euro (£25m) release clause in his deal in Spain, his arrival would be a relatively low-cost addition for whoever opts to take a risk on the 23-year-old, whose £270,000 a year wages are less than what some City stars earn in a week and thus also unlikely to be an obstacle.