City’s interest has progressed after injuries to Gvardiol and Dias
Manchester City are targeting a January move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
City have been plagued by injuries, particularly in their backline, and things turned from bad to worse after Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias were forced off within 30 minutes of each other against Chelsea on Sunday.
Gvardiol is set to undergo surgery on his shin, likely ruling him out until close to the end of the season, while Dias is out for “a few weeks”, according to Pep Guardiola.
John Stones is currently injured, leaving Abdukhodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake as the only fit senior centre-backs in the squad. However, Khusanov returned from injury only two months ago and Ake has been recovering from the foot surgery he had last season, meaning that his minutes need to be managed. City have a hectic winter schedule that will see them play seven games over the next 22 days.
Guehi is out of contract in the summer and has already informed Palace he will not renew. He is expected to leave on a free in the summer and can already sign a pre-contract agreement with a club outside England this January.
However, the possibility remains that Palace could allow him to leave this January for a small fee. Guehi was preparing for a move to Liverpool last summer but the deal collapsed on deadline day. It remains unclear whether the Merseyside club will contend for his signature this window but City’s interest is very strong and has progressed, according to BBC Sport.
City are also nearing a deal for Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo this January, with the club expected to pay the Ghanaian’s £65m release clause.
