Manchester City face a potential crisis at centre-back following the injury suffered by Josko Gvardiol, with Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi now being considered as a possible solution.
The Croatian defender sustained a tibial fracture in Sunday's 1-1 draw against Chelsea and will require surgery later this week. The extent of his injury is currently unclear, but if he is to be out for an extended period, City may need to act quickly to strengthen their defensive options.
Guehi has been out of contract at Palace since the end of the season, and City had been expected to target him on a free transfer in the summer. However, with his club bracing themselves for offers from other interested parties, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona, City may need to act now if they wish to secure his services.
Palace manager Patrick Vieira has expressed openness to negotiations over Guehi's future, but there is no certainty that he will leave the club. Liverpool had attempted to sign him last summer for £35m, only to see him reject their offer and commit his long-term future to Palace.
In contrast, Real Madrid have long been keen on signing Guehi, but interest in the Spain international appears to be cooling. City may therefore need to consider offers significantly lower than what they paid Liverpool last summer if they are to secure his services.
The situation highlights the challenges facing City, who are already short at centre-back following injuries to Ruben Dias and John Stones. The club's recruitment plans will now take on a new priority as Gvardiol's injury casts doubt over the availability of their long-term target for the defensive position.
The Croatian defender sustained a tibial fracture in Sunday's 1-1 draw against Chelsea and will require surgery later this week. The extent of his injury is currently unclear, but if he is to be out for an extended period, City may need to act quickly to strengthen their defensive options.
Guehi has been out of contract at Palace since the end of the season, and City had been expected to target him on a free transfer in the summer. However, with his club bracing themselves for offers from other interested parties, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona, City may need to act now if they wish to secure his services.
Palace manager Patrick Vieira has expressed openness to negotiations over Guehi's future, but there is no certainty that he will leave the club. Liverpool had attempted to sign him last summer for £35m, only to see him reject their offer and commit his long-term future to Palace.
In contrast, Real Madrid have long been keen on signing Guehi, but interest in the Spain international appears to be cooling. City may therefore need to consider offers significantly lower than what they paid Liverpool last summer if they are to secure his services.
The situation highlights the challenges facing City, who are already short at centre-back following injuries to Ruben Dias and John Stones. The club's recruitment plans will now take on a new priority as Gvardiol's injury casts doubt over the availability of their long-term target for the defensive position.
! First, they lose Ruben Dias to an injury, and now Josko Gvardiol goes down too? And what really gets me is that they were expecting to sign Marc Guehi on a free transfer in the summer, but now it seems like he's going to cost them a fortune because everyone else wants him 
. I mean, can't they just get some decent defenders without breaking the bank?! 
And now Palace manager Patrick Vieira is being all cagey about letting Guehi go... it's like City are just sitting ducks at the back 
. They really need to sort this out ASAP! 
imagine City's defense without Gvardiol... 
it's like a diagram with a big X marked through it 
. they're already struggling to find stability at CB, and now this? 
anyway, this is gonna be an interesting transfer window... 
️ or risk losing their top target. this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back for them, defense-wise 
"The best way out is always through." Maybe this is what Manchester City needs, just like in life, we gotta face our problems head-on and try to find solutions 
. It seems like they're already dealing with some tough stuff at the back, now it's time for them to act fast if they wanna keep their defensive line strong 
The good news for City is that Palace manager Patrick Vieira seems open to talks, so it's not like they're completely out of the running. 
Still, this injury situation just put another layer of complexity on top of what was already a tricky recruitment process...
and I'm thinking Manchester City is in trouble 
they're already struggling with Ruben Dias & John Stones injuries 
and now this? 
but it's not like City didn't target him last summer 
or loan someone out 
but still, city should try 2 sign him before he goes 2 barcelona or bayern munich... that would be a major blow 
like, can't they catch a break for once? 
... or maybe they just need to offer him a "we don't wanna lose u" bonus 
... palace is already getting offered £35m by barca, who knows what city can offer? 
I mean, can you believe it? Manchester City is in crisis mode because one guy got hurt 
they need to act fast & be smart about their offers tho, £35m was steep last summer and that wont cut it now 
this is gonna b interesting...
anyway, what do u think about crystal palace's chances this season?
But what if Palace doesn't want to sell? What if they get offers from Bayern or Barca? And what's with Real Madrid cooling off on him? 
It's not ideal, but it might be a temporary fix until City can find a more permanent solution... 
I mean, they've already lost Dias and Stones so now they need to act fast to secure some decent CBs 
. This could be a major test of their recruitment plans this season... fingers crossed they can get it right! 