If reports in England are to be believed, Manchester City has reportedly identified long-term Manchester United target Milan Skriniar as the ideal candidate to solve their defensive woes. Pep Guardiola is reportedly considering a January move for the Inter Milan ace but they know that the Slovakian international will be difficult to sign in January with Inter fighting for the Serie A title with serial champions Juventus.
The 24-year-old defender joined Inter Milan from Sampdoria in 2017 and has established himself as one of Europe’s top centre-backs. The Slovakian has been in great demand in the last few months and Manchester United have been one of his biggest suitors.
As per reports in England, Manchester City have now entered the race for the coveted defender. The 24-year-old has played every minute in their Champions League group stage and is yet to miss any part of the Serie A season, with the San Siro club ahead of Juventus thanks to a higher goal difference at the top of the league.
The Slovakia international already has 31 caps under his belt and is exactly the kind of defender Guardiola admires. His ability on the ball and passing range in exemplary as he started his career in midfield.
Manchester City has struggled defensively this season after long-term skipper Vincent Kompany left and Aymeric Laporte got injured early in the season.
The reigning Premier League champions have received a boost with the Frenchman back in training but if Pep Guardiola is to stay beyond the end of this season, he will surely want to bring in another defender to help improve the squad and Skriniar is a top-class defender.
Skriniar was previously linked with City’s rivals Manchester United while Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona were also reportedly interested. He is under contract with Inter until 2023 after signing an extension in May and speaking in October, when he insisted he is happy at Inter.
The champions of England have struggled with problems at the back. The injuries to Aymeric Laporte, hurt their ambitions in the current campaign. It was just the fact that the games have been now postponed or suspended, which has saved the Cityzens.
With that being said, Pep Guardiola knows the problem and will want to resolve it. Irrespective of the fact whether they play in the Champions League or not, things need to be sorted out at the back. Veteran Fernandinho was filling in at the back every now and then when some of his team-mates were out injured.
However, that can’t surely be a long-term solution. The struggles were real and City went down to Liverpool in the league, only for the Coronavirus to save them. That shall not be the case every year and Pep will want to sort things out. The Spanish manager has identified his set of targets for the seasons to come and will try to sign them in the summer.
One such player is Skriniar and it will be interesting to see which club he joins. City are currently banned from the Champions League, though Manchester United haven’t really been able to secure their spot either.
