Although their form so far this season would suggest it isn’t needed, Man City have a gap to fill in their squad and reports claim Pep Guardiola has a top target in mind.
City sit top of the Premier League table, five points ahead of their nearest rivals while they’ve already advanced to the Champions League knockout stage.
SEE MORE:
Pep Guardiola prepares to fight Barcelona in €50m transfer battle for key signing
However, Benjamin Mendy suffered knee ligament damage against Crystal Palace in September, and as per the Manchester Evening News, he isn’t expected to return until April.
Guardiola has found a solution with Fabian Delph doing an admirable job filling in in an unnatural position to him, and as mentioned above, City’s form would suggest that it isn’t really a problem area for them.
However, as the season goes on and they encounter their troubles, it will surely be a department that is exploited when they pressure builds and the level of the opposition increases, particularly in the Champions League, and Guardiola may be well advised to address it.
In turn, according to The Sun, City are now looking at Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand as a potential solution, despite the fact that the Saints value him at £30m.
It would be a sensible signing for Guardiola if the club manage to pull it off, as ultimately the 28-year-old has plenty of experience in the Premier League, and has proven to be consistent and important performer for Southampton for some time.
Further, he’s a regular in the England squad having made over 30 appearances in all competitions in each of the last three campaigns, and so it makes a lot of sense if City and Guardiola opt to swoop for him to even offer Mendy stiff competition when he returns.
Delph would be right to feel slightly aggrieved if a deal were to happen as he’s done brilliantly filling in, but ultimately it’s an area that is surely worth serious consideration if the right deal presents itself.