MANCHESTER CITY could enter the race for Marc Guehi but only if centre-backs Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake are sold this week.
The Crystal Palace defender who has just one year left on his contract is already being targeted by Liverpool, Tottenham and Barcelona.
AlamyGuehi is in the comfortable situation of knowing he could walk away for free next summer[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialLiverpool have been leading the chase but they could now face a challenge from Man City[/caption]
GettyGuardiola’s defence was badly exposed again against Tottenham this weekend[/caption]
Palace chairman Steve Parish has already said Guehi would be sold unless he was willing to sign a new contract at Selhurst.
Sunsport has previously exclusively reported that Guehi was willing to run down his contract if he didn’t get his preferred move.
And now The Daily Star is reporting that City are considering the 25-year-old as a potential £35million signing, should they lose both Akanji and Ake from Pep Guardiola‘s squad.
Galatasaray are keen on 30-year-old Akanji, while Everton, who have already secured a loan deal for Jack Grealish, are interested in Ake.
Should both players leave before the transfer window closes next Monday, interest in Guehi would intensify.
That would put City on a collision course with Liverpool who have long been leading the race for the Palace man.
Guardiola is looking to trim his squad and Guehi’s pace and long-term potential make him an attractive option.
The City boss was forced to leave both Ilkay Gundogan and Akanji out of his squad for their recent 2-0 loss to Tottenham.
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Guardiola explained his rotation policy, saying: “I had to leave Rodri and Phil Foden out last week because we have so many players.
“I must rotate. In the next games, others will be left out. It’s not more serious than that.”
Guardiola also defended goalkeeper James Trafford, who made an error leading to the second Spurs goal.
He said: “James played well in his first game last week and I decided to stick with him.
“People often think early-season decisions are the final ones but it’s about choosing for the moment. Today, I made that decision, and it is what it is.”
Guardiola acknowledged that his team missed some simple opportunities in the game but praised their effort.
The City boss said: “The running and commitment was extraordinary.
“We still have work to do after the win at Wolves, everyone said everything was fine but I said then we had more to improve and it’s the same now.
“We’ll keep working, step by step, until things click. We’ve got a week to rest and then it’s Brighton before the international break.”
Manchester City have already brought in the likes of Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves but there is a general feeling at the Etihad that they could do with someone like Guehi to push their central defenders to the next level.
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