Man City ‘will target’ Kyle Walker replacement described as ‘magnificent’ by Shearer
Manchester City are reportedly looking to bolster their defence with a transfer of one rising Premier League star this summer, according to one report.
With Kyle Walker already departed, albeit on loan, he is likely to leave permanently in the summer leaving them needing a new addition at the back.
January signing Abdukodir Khusanov played at right-back out of position against Real Madrid in their recent Champions League defeat, while Rico Lewis has typically been a consistent figure there and John Stones also featured but has since been ruled out of action for the season.
Given that Pep Guardiola was awarded £181m of new players in the January window, a rebuild has been greenlit and now the attention turns to the summer where more additions are expected.
According to the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, City will target a ‘right-back’ and ‘number eight’, with multiple right-back targets being listed that include Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakami, Juventus’ Andrea Cambiasso and Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento.
The Newcastle defender has been an ever-present this season, demoting the experienced Kieran Tripper to the substitute having started 20 games in the league.
Having developed at Chelsea, he signed from Southampton for a fee of around £32million in 2023 and he made his England debut earlier this season in the UEFA Nations League victory in November under Lee Carsley.
Previously, he was praised as being ‘magnificent‘ by former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer and he admitted he didn’t know ‘how good a player he was’ until he saw him playing for his old club.
“I would really hope that someone has already, and if they haven’t then they should rather quickly, get on the phone to him and tell him he has a big future in the England squad – whether that is at right-back or left-back,” he revealed on the Rest is Football podcast in late-2023.
“Because I am sure Newcastle bought him, they spent £30 million, and he did have a serious injury but there has always been that thing around him where he has huge potential and he’s a very good player, but I didn’t realise how good a player he was until I saw him at Newcastle, in a Newcastle shirt.”
MORE MAN CITY COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Man City plot ‘swap deal’ to replace De Bruyne with ‘dream’ signing in ‘two separate transactions’
👉 Liverpool panic is over as quartet put down ‘bang average’ Man City and retire overhyped De Bruyne
👉 Man City: Ornstein reveals internal verdict on worst possible FFP punishment – ‘seismic moment soon’
Kevin De Bruyne’s future in doubt as ‘number eight’ targeted
As mentioned in the report, an attacking midfielder is another key area and one player who could be replaced is the legendary figure of Kevin De Bruyne – whose deal expires at the end of the season.
There is potential for the club to trigger an extension in Ilkay Gundogan’s deal to help maintain their experience and the January addition of Nico Gonzalez has helped add a versatile, technically sound midfielder to their ranks in the absence of key figure Rodri.
One player who has been linked in recent weeks is Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz who has starred for Xabi Alonso in recent seasons. The 21-year-old has 15 goals and 13 assists this season and is one of Europe’s most-coveted stars.
The report claims that City could look to offer a swap deal to secure the young German, with Jason McAtee who has played less than 650 minutes of action so far this season, netting six times.