Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is keen to strengthen his options in January and is now reportedly on the trail of a talented defender, according to reports.
Manchester City transfer updates…
Manchester City are never far away from the headlines with regards to transfer stories and the present reality of their activity in the market is no different, as Guardiola looks to assemble a squad capable of continuing their domination in recent English football history.
In the summer, Jeremy Doku, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Josko Gvardiol arrived in Manchester and fed into a quality-over-quantity recruitment approach at the Etihad Stadium, which looks to have paid dividends so far as the Blues sit at the summit of the Premier League table with 28 points from their opening 12 fixtures.
Nevertheless, Manchester City aren't showing any signs of slowing down on the transfer front and are believed to be admirers of Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves; however, a summer swoop for the Portugal international is more likely than any approach in the January transfer window, according to Football Insider. Newcastle United are also keen on the former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain, who is expected to leave the Saudi Pro League side despite only arriving in the Middle East earlier this year.
Looking to the future, Manchester City are in contention to land St Patrick's Athletic wonderkid Sam Curtis, though the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international is on the agenda of a plethora of clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Hull City, Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Scottish Premiership champions Celtic.
St Patrick's are expecting Curtis to leave Richmond Park during the off-season in Ireland, which will run until around mid-February, given that the football season in the country is scheduled differently to the United Kingdom's summer-to-summer system. Now, a fresh report has suggested that Manchester City are in the hunt for another young individual to bolster their backline, albeit someone with a significantly higher reputation already.
Manchester City looking to sign Arouna Sangante
As per Football Insider, Manchester City are keen on Le Havre defender Arouna Sangante, who has helped his side record five clean sheets in Ligue 1 this term. The Senegalese centre-half has also attracted interest from Manchester United and Chelsea in recent times and is believed to be available in the January window, following Le Havre owner Vincent Volpe's decision to give FIFA agent Willie McKay a brief to try and take advantage of his rising stock.
Arouna Sangante statistics in 2023/24 – Ligue 1 (Transfermarkt)
Appearances
10
Goals
0
Assists
0
On the continent, Serie A giants AC Milan and Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund are also monitoring developments around the 21 year-old as they search for defensive reinforcements.
Labelling Sangante as a "complete" player, Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig has also likened the Dakar-born defender to Real Madrid defender Eder Militao, which is high praise indeed given his young age.
Looking ahead to January, it will be intriguing to see if Manchester City can get a deal over the line for Sangante as Guardiola aims to build for the future at the Etihad Stadium.