Manchester City trailing Liverpool in transfer chase for new left-back – Real Madrid also linked | OneFootball

Liverpool are leading the chase for one of the Premier League’s most in-demand players amid competitive interest from Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Etihad Stadium recruitment officials are looking towards the upcoming summer transfer window as a period of potentially significant change across Pep Guardiola’s squad, with a number of alterations anticipated in various positions.

Kevin De Bruyne’s pending exit after City opted not to renew his contract beyond this season will no doubt take on much of the attention as the club looks towards sourcing a direct replacement, although a number of roles are also under the microscope.

Incoming sporting director Hugo Viana will be backed up by those alongside him within Manchester City’s hierarchy by supplying the 42-year-old with the necessary funding to bring across the footballing vision he desires for Pep Guardiola.

And among the roles set to be refreshed is the full-back positions, with both left-back and right-back open to investment and Manchester City having been linked with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez this week in particular.

However, according to the information of talkSPORT, Premier League champions-elect Liverpool remain front-runners to sign the Hungary international, with sources playing down the idea of Manchester City being ready to make a move for the 21-year-old.

Real Madrid have also been labelled as ‘interested’ in a move for Kerkez, although the Merseyside club are said to be way ahead of Los Blancos and Manchester City in the race for the £45 million-rated defender.

The attentions from the Etihad Stadium are far more likely to be focussed on the potential recruitment of Andrea Cambiaso from Juventus this summer after interest in the Italian international first emerged in January.

At the time, Manchester City were swift to brief sections of the media that any move for the 25-year-old was more likely to come to fruition in the form of an official offer during the summer market, with the club not shutting down their interest as a whole.

Cambiaso’s versatility is most likely to have attracted watchful eyes from Manchester City, with the player holding an ability to operate at both left and right-back, while Hugo Viana is also believed to be an admirer of Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie as a left-sided option.