Pep Guardiola eyes crucial Man City reinforcement in January, £129m-rated trio emerge as top options

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Given his side’s start to the season, it’s difficult to see where Pep Guardiola could even strengthen his squad in the January transfer window.

City are flying high in top spot in the Premier League, winning 16 of their 17 games and remain unbeaten while they’ve opened up a sizeable 11-point lead in the title race.

It’s been just as straight-forward in the Champions League as they topped their group, and yet it’s claimed that Guardiola is eyeing transfer targets to bolster his squad in the New Year.

According to The Sun, it comes down to three defensive targets in Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk who was valued at £70m by the Saints this past summer, Jonny Evans who was handed a £30m price-tag by West Bromwich Albion and Real Sociedad defender Inigo Martinez, who has a £29m release clause in his contract, all as per the report.

In fairness, it’s easy to see why a defender is a priority given Vincent Kompany’s injury history along with the setback suffered by John Stones this season.

While Nicolas Otamendi has shown real signs of improvement this year which is a great credit to him having struggled to convince entirely previously, defensive reinforcements are arguably still needed at the Etihad to add quality and depth to avoid being left short in that department.

Further, with Benjamin Mendy sidelined with a long-term injury, any versatility that can be shown by a possible signing, whether it be allowing Guardiola to switch to a back three or otherwise, could be welcomed by the Spanish tactician as he chases major trophies this season.

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