Manchester City preparing opening January offer for £200,000-a-week defender | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are preparing their opening bid for Crystal Palace and England international Marc Guehi, according to new reports.

Guehi has been identified as a potent addition to Manchester City’s depleted backline in the wake of injuries to centre-half duo Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Chelsea earlier this month.

City have since re-called academy star Max Alleyne from loan at Watford, with the 20-year-old starting thrice in the last week against Brighton, Exeter and Newcastle as the Blues remain in the running for silverware on four fronts.

Nathan Ake has also featured much more since the injuries to Dias and Gvardiol, though Guardiola has admitted to concerns over whether the 30-year-old, who has been linked with a January exit from the Etihad Stadium, can be entrusted to play regularly as the season progresses.

John Stones is still recovering from a leg injury sustained in early December amid serious doubts over the 31-year-old England international’s future at the Etihad Stadium as he enters the final months of his current deal.

Pep Guardiola has admitted that Manchester City will be nothing but pragmatic when assessing Stones’ future, with the former Everton man struggling with injuries in the last 18 months and barely playing regularly as a result.

City are in an embryonic stage of their transition under director of football Hugo Viana, who spearheaded a major revamp of Guardiola’s squad upon his appointment last summer, signing off on the exits of several senior players and engineering the acquisitions of seven new stars.

According to the information of talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Manchester City are considering stepping up their interest in Crystal Palace’s Guehi with a formal bid but not as high as the south London club’s valuation of more than £35 million.

Nevertheless, Viana is prepared to make an offer between now and the January transfer window closing while rivals Liverpool – who had a deal agreed for Guehi last summer – are not planning to make a move this month.

It is claimed that the belief within Anfield is that the total cost of a package for the England international is ‘prohibitive’, while Guehi himself is seeking a weekly wage of around £200,000-a-week.

City are very keen to bolster their defence this month, given the lack of reliable stand-in options in the form of Stones and Ake, and the inexperience of Alleyne and Abdukodir Khusanov – both of whom started alongside Ake in defence in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final opening leg win over Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.

Viana and co will want a swift response from Guehi and Crystal Palace sooner rather than later should City then decide to move on to other targets in defence, with re-calling Vitor Reis from loan at Girona also an alternative – though there is no indication at present that will materialise.