Manchester City monitoring Juventus full-back closely with contacts over transfer yet to commence | OneFootball

Officials from Manchester City are reportedly monitoring the performances of Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso with great interest, according to information from Italy.

The Premier League champions are in the midst of a clear recruitment drive within their first-team squad this month, much of which has centred around the defensive ranks and options available to Pep Guardiola.

The Catalan tactician has seen his options heavily depleted at various times of the campaign, having to depend on the likes of Academy graduate Jahmai Simpson-Pusey in big moments, as well as players out of position to cope with injuries and fitness problems.

As such, officials within the club have moved swiftly to address the matter for the foreseeable future, securing an agreement with RC Lens for Uzbek defender Abdukodir Khusanov, whilst identifying Palmeiras’ Vitor Reis and Real Valladolid’s Juma Bah as options.

But the matter does not end there, with new reports from Italy pointing towards the Old Lady and one of Juventus’ star performers in recent months, perhaps explaining why it is unsurprising to see Manchester City assessing the talent.

That is according to the information of Italian journalist Matteo Moretto, who states that Manchester City are continuing to monitor Juventus’ versatile full-back, Andrea Cambiaso ‘closely’, with the player tempted by the allure of Pep Guardiola.

However, for the Italian club, the 24-year-old is a ‘very important player’ according to the report, and there have been no contacts between the two clubs to date, while it remains to be seen whether there will be any developments on the matter.

Some of Manchester City’s interest in the player may have also been sparked by new information coming through to the club in recent days that indicated Kyle Walker had a clear intention of bringing to an end his time with the Premier League champions.

Having played an integral role in Pep Guardiola’s operation and history-defining success since 2017, Walker may be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer this month, such is the respect for his contributions to the club.

For the time being, while the player and his representatives assess options, it appears as though only one club are pursuing a deal as a matter of urgency, with the belief being that AC Milan would be open to providing a two-and-a-half year deal.