Juventus boss Igor Tudor opens door for Andrea Cambiaso to join Manchester City | OneFootball

Juventus manager Andrea Cambiaso has put Andrea Cambiaso’s future in the defender’s hands and spoken candidly on what the Italian needs to do to join Manchester City.

Cambiaso was heavily linked with a switch to the Etihad Stadium in the summer transfer window as Manchester City sought a replacement for departed former club captain Kyle Walker, who was sold to Burnley after a brief loan stint at AC Milan.

Officials at the Etihad Stadium identified Cambiaso as a potent long-term replacement for Walker, who fell out of favour with Pep Guardiola in the fall of 2024 and sought exile in the Serie A after falling down the pecking order in Manchester City’s faltering backline.

Manchester City signed Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves for £31 million in June and were also keen on bolstering their prospects at right-back amid interest in Cambiaso as well as Newcastle’s Valentino Livramento – both under long-term contracts at their respective clubs.

However, a transfer for either failed to materialise as Manchester City reportedly failed to find the ideal replacement in the market that suited their budget in what was a whirlwind transfer window that witnessed a change in guard at the Etihad Stadium.

Several senior stars integral to Manchester City’s success under Guardiola – including Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, Scott Carson and Walker – left as newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana conducted a thorough audit of Guardiola’s squad to cut the wage bill and streamline the first-team ranks.

Seven new signings were brought in as City signalled their intent to return to challenging for major trophies after a sobering 2024-25 campaign that saw the Blues record their lowest points tally in the Premier League (71) en route to a third-place finish, exit the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage and lose the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.

Cambiaso remains of interest to Manchester City bosses and the club’s interest in the 25-year-old full-back could rekindle in January or next summer, with the likes of Matheus Nunes, Rico Lewis and Abdukodir Khusanov collectively shouldering the workload at right-back for the time being.

The Italy international is as versatile a full-back as they come and it is no surprise that Guardiola in particular likes Cambiaso, who can operate in midfield and on either side of a back four as he enters the prime of his career.

Speaking candidly on his defender’s long-term prospects, Juventus manager Igor Tudor has outlined what Cambiaso has to do to attract stronger interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City and take his game to a different level.

“He could play as a winger; he has a different mindset, he sees the game as a midfielder too,” Tudor said on Cambiaso last week, as quoted by Il Bianconero and relayed by Sport Witness.

“He needs to be more consistent; he’s potentially a player for the best clubs in the world, but he has to decide. If he decides, he can play for Real Madrid, Liverpool, or Manchester City.”

Manchester City are unlikely as things stand to make an approach for Cambiaso in January but Viana and co will be working behind the scenes to draw a shortlist of candidates at right-back as they look to solidify their options in the position next summer.