Manchester City eye AC Milan superstar for January transfer window swoop | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City have reportedly identified one of AC Milan’s standout midfield stars as a transfer target for the upcoming winter window.

The latest claims of Manchester City transfer interest come amidst an ongoing injury crisis within the Etihad Stadium, as Pep Guardiola’s fitness problems have most recently led to a four-game losing streak across competitions.

Defeat and an exit from the Carabao Cup fourth round stage was followed up by successive 2-1 losses in the Premier League to Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion, sandwiched by a heavy 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League.

Manchester City’s rotten run of form also coincides with the ongoing absence of Rodri from the first-team picture, with the Spaniard expected to be ruled out for the remainder of the season with his double knee injury.

And as Pep Guardiola’s side continue to struggle to acclimatise to life without the Ballon d’Or winner, officials within the club are already looking towards the transfer window for a player to come in an operate within the Spaniard’s role.

According to the information of Sky Sports Switzerland’s Sacha Tavolieri, AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders has now attracted interest from Manchester City with a view towards a permanent transfer during the upcoming winter market.

It is explained that officials within the Etihad Stadium are thinking of strengthening their squad to bring ‘freshness, competition and dynamism’ to Pep Guardiola’s roster of players for the remainder of the season.

Whilst Reijnders is said to be on a list at Manchester City, the Premier League champions have not taken any concrete steps towards the midfielder, who remains contracted in Milan until June 2028, with his current club wanting to extend by a further year and doubling his salary.

It is not the first time that Manchester City have been tied to profiles within the Italian game, having first been linked to the services of Torino and Italy international midfielder, Samuele Ricci just days after Rodri’s long-term absence was confirmed.

Inter’s Nicolo Barella and Atalanta’s Ederson have also been mooted as potential options for Manchester City in the transfer market, whilst Pep Guardiola continues to utilise Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic in the role thus far.

Other options that have received praise from Guardiola for their performances in midfield in the absence of Rodri have included Manuel Akanji, Rico Lewis, Nico O’Reilly, and Jacob Wright, but no name has been able to establish themselves as the go-to consistent replacement.