Guardiola ready for big changes: A new defender to join City

Manchester City’s management is preparing to be active once again in the summer transfer window. Spanish specialist Josep Guardiola has begun to refresh the team and is reviewing new players who fully match his requirements.

In the winter, the “Citizens” brought in Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis to strengthen central defense, Nico Gonzalez for the midfield, and Omar Marmoush in attack. However, the issue of making additional transfers in these positions is not closed, and they may be further reinforced in the summer.

According to Cityxtra.co.uk, Manchester City is closely monitoring the situation of Liverpool’s French defender Ibrahima Konaté to further strengthen their central defense line.

This season, Konaté formed an excellent partnership with Virgil van Dijk in the “Reds” squad and became one of the key players in winning the Premier League title under coach Arne Slot.

Guardiola is not fully satisfied with the attributes of his defenders. During the season, frequent injuries to John Stones, Nathan Aké, and Manuel Akanji negatively affected the team’s overall results. Currently, the most stable defender remains Joško Gvardiol, but he is forced to switch between central and flank defense.

Taking into account Josep Guardiola’s requirements, the club’s new sporting director is preparing thoroughly for the transfer window.

According to English football experts Graeme Bailey and James Brooke, Liverpool's delay in starting negotiations for a new deal with Konaté — whose contract ends next year — has created a favorable situation for City. The “Citizens” are trying to take full advantage of this opportunity.

The experts also noted that Manchester City had already brought in young players like Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis for the future of their central defense. These players could replace Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias, but for now, the issue of experience prevents them from securing a place in the starting lineup.

As part of the club’s rejuvenation strategy, it is said that City might part ways with defenders like John Stones, Nathan Aké, and Manuel Akanji due to their age and injury proneness. In such a situation, the transfer of 25-year-old Konaté would be very logical.

However, the arrival of such experienced players would clearly affect the game time of young talents like Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. For example, although Khusanov has played nine matches since arriving in Manchester, he hasn’t been on the field for the past month and a half. Guardiola did not even include the Uzbek player in the squad list for the last two games.

Having been named the club’s best player of February, it will take a lot of hard work for Abdukodir Khusanov to return to the starting lineup. In short, competition at City has never been easy — and never will be. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!