Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Schalke)
This outstanding young defender has attracted a great deal of interest from several top clubs in recent times, Manchester City included, and with Manuel Pellegrini’s current defensive woes Kyriakos Papadopoulos could be a great addition when the transfer window re-opens for business in January.
The 21-year-old Greek international has been a superbly solid player at the back for Schalke since joining the club in 2010, immediately becoming a regular in the side despite his youth, having previously impressed as well at previous club Olympiacos. Although Schalke also face the prospect of possible losing another star youngster in Julian Draxler this January, they are supposedly more open to negotiating the sale of Papadopoulos, and admitted they expected a bid to come in from Liverpool during the summer.
With City’s struggles at the back at the moment, a new signing could freshen things up and make the likes of Matija Nastasic fight harder for their place in the starting lineup, and Papadopoulos would certainly be an upgrade on Joleon Lescott or Javi Garcia, who has filled in at centre-back on occasion this season.