FIFA Club World Cup gains hand Manchester City significant boost in Valentino Livramento pursuit | OneFootball

Manchester City exited the FIFA Club World Cup courtesy of a thrilling 4-3 defeat to Al-Hilal in the Round of 16 but the Blues have received a major boost in their pursuit of a new right-back owing to their participation in the tournament.

City fell short against Joao Cancelo and co as Al-Hilal took advantage of the Blues’ long-standing and well-documented frailties to defend on the counter attack, with Pep Guardiola’s men falling at the end of a shock defeat.

After being dubbed as one of the favourites to win the tournament, Manchester City fell into their same old habits – habits that cost them dearly in the recent season – as Al-Hilal’s resolute second-half display and an extra-time winner saw the Saudi Arabian club pull off a historic win over the 2023 treble winners.

City’s first-team players are set for a break for four weeks to rest, recover and recuperate after a long-drawn, disappointing season, though Guardiola and newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana have reason to be excited following the club’s stellar moves in the transfer market.

Manchester City made a blistering start to the transfer window with the acquisitions of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders – all in time for the Club World Cup – for a combined fee of around £110 million.

Outgoings are expected to dominate the headlines between now and when the squad report back for pre-season in a month’s time as Viana and the Manchester City board look to trim Guardiola’s bloated squad.

Jack Grealish, Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker are all expected to find new clubs after being excluded from the Club World Cup squad. Centre-back is another area that needs addressing, with John Stones linked with an exit as he enters the final 12 months of his current deal.

City are also understood to be keen on adding a new right-back as a long-term replacement for Walker. Newcastle and England U-21 defender Valentino Livramento is of interest but Newcastle’s hefty valuation of the 22-year-old has proved to be a stumbling block in negotiations so far.

Manchester City have flexed their financial muscle since January after cashing in on a few years of lucrative sales that saw all of Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte leave the club for various reasons.

Moreover, after banking an approximate £37.8 million from their participation at the Club World Cup, as per BBC Sport, City and Viana have been given fresh hope in their pursuit of a new right-back as they assess whether the club want to re-enter talks with Newcastle for Livramento.

Whilst Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes and Abdukodir Khusanov can all cover at right-back, it is high time that Manchester City recruit a specialist for a position that has become a key frailty for Guardiola in recent seasons.

The signing of Ait-Nouri from Wolves at left-back has seen the Blues address another major issue that has bugged Guardiola for nearly the entirety of his time at the Etihad Stadium – as it remains to be seen if City use their Club World Cup financial windfall to get Livramento through the door.