Manchester City target €30 million-rated SC Braga centre-back with competition from Manchester United | OneFootball

Premier League champions Manchester City are reportedly considering an offer for one of SC Braga’s stand-out performers in the ongoing January transfer market.

It is the latest rumour that has seen Pep Guardiola and his Etihad Stadium colleagues linked with movement in the central defensive roles, and perhaps unsurprising given the issues that have hampered the club throughout the season so far.

There have been times throughout what has been a difficult first-half to the ongoing season when Pep Guardiola has been forced to line-up his Manchester City side without any of his four mainstay central defenders up to full fitness.

That has seen various solutions fielded in high-profile matches, including the emergence of teenage Academy graduate Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who has left many onlookers impressed by his composure and eye for a forward pass.

But given the precarious position that City find themselves in when it comes to their hopes of a Premier League top-four finish and a place in the UEFA Champions League’s last-16, the club know that changes must be made sooner rather than later.

According to the information of AfricaFoot, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, both Manchester United and Manchester City are chasing SC Braga centre-back, Sikou Niakaté in the ongoing January transfer window.

From the side of the reigning Premier League champions, it is reported that the profile of the 25-year-old has attracted the attention of manager Pep Guardiola and Manchester City appreciate him.

Both clubs are reportedly considering offers for Niakaté in the ongoing market, while the player’s contract with Braga currently runs until the summer of 2028, with his club said to be demanding a €30 million transfer fee in order to sell.

The ongoing market is likely to become the first winter window since 2018 when Manchester City have spent heavily to bring in fresh faces for the first-team squad, as the club usually opts to operate more prominently in the extended summer opening.

Niakaté is not alone in being a central defender linked with a move to Manchester City, who have seen Real Valladolid’s loanee starlet Juma Bah tied with interest but now seems more likely to move elsewhere in Europe from AIK Freetong in Sierra Leone.

Lens and Uzbekistan star Abdukodir Khusanov is seen as the more realistic option to join Pep Guardiola’s ranks this month, but the 20-year-old is also attracting interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Newcastle United.