Manchester City rejected chance to sign Serie A star for £66 million in January transfer window | OneFootball

Despite spending over €200 million in the January transfer window, Manchester City rejected the opportunity to spend even further in the market.

Txiki Begiristain and his recruitment colleagues made movements on the playing squad at the earliest opportunity amid a hugely difficult season for the club, strengthening positions throughout Pep Guardiola’s roster.

First came defensive restructuring, as City brought in Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis from RC Lens and Palmeiras at a combined cost of around €70 million, with Omar Marmoush following shortly afterward from Eintracht Frankfurt at €75 million to bolster the attack.

And while many supporters were satisfied with the early business, it became apparent that City desperately required a new name in midfield to further soften the blow of Rodri’s continued absence amid struggles with replacements that have come in so far.

As such, deadline day brought the €60 million signing of Nico Gonzalez from FC Porto, although follow-up reporting has detailed how the spending could have grown further amid interest in a player that could be deemed as a long-term Kyle Walker replacement.

According to the information of The Athletic’s Sam Lee, Juventus were ‘open to doing business’ for Andrea Cambiaso in January but only for £66 million – a number that Manchester City did not reach during dialogue between the two clubs.

It is however pointed out that such interest from the Premier League champions could be rekindled in the upcoming summer window, when it is suggested that Manchester City plan to make ‘several more significant additions’ to their squad.

For now, Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City staff will continue with their existing resources to make up for the loss of Walker at right-back, and the last few matches have seen Matheus Nunes stake a claim for a continued starting place.

The Portugal international has seemingly impressed Guardiola with his abilities moving forward from the right-back position, but continues to be susceptible to defensive frailties when heading towards his own goal.

Supporting Nunes in the position for the remainder of the season are the likes of Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, and John Stones, with the latter hoping to put together a strong run of form and consistency after an injury-ridden first-half to the season.