Manchester City weighing up January move for Inter defender

With an injury crisis at the back following Aymeric Laporte’s injury, Manchester City are prepared to return for Inter defender Milan Škriniar in January, per Calcio Mercato. 

One of the most puzzling aspects of Manchester City’s summer transfer window was the failure to sign a central defender following the departure of club legend Vincent Kompany, a surprising move.

Just four matches into the Premier League season, Aymeric Laporte, City’s most important defender, has gone down with a serious knee injury leaving the Blues extremely thin at the back, leading Pep Guardiola to return his attention to summer target Milan Škriniar.

The 24-year old defender has been an absolute rock at the back during his time in Serie A and looks to feature as a key piece in Antonio Conte’s Inter side. Last March, I wrote a piece detailing how Škriniar could be the perfect solution at the back for City and an ideal partner for Laporte, and given the club’s current injury situation, it could be a massive move for Guardiola’s men.

Inter have reportedly rejected all of City’s advances to this point, but the Slovak remains the best-possible replacement available for Kompany, even if it requires a club-record fee. An absolute anchor at the back, Škriniar will provide the defensive stability and aerial strength that will complement Laporte’s ball-playing ability.

Moreover, with Laporte injured until January at the least, the Citizens will be forced to rely on the historically-shaky partnership of John Stones and Nicolás Otamendi for the first half of the campaign. That pairing will also have virtually no depth behind them outside of Fernandinho, whom Guardiola has stated will be played out of position after Rodri’s arrival this summer, and promising 18-year old Eric García, who featured in pre-season.

Depth at center-back was an issue for City even before losing their star defender to a knee injury, but now the signing of a central defender in January feels less like a luxury and more of a necessity, and Škriniar is the ideal player to help City battle on four fronts once again.

When fully healthy, a young, dynamic potential backline of João Cancelo, Škriniar, Laporte, and Ben Mendy appears to be both rock-solid and dangerous going forward for years to come. Nearly every Champions League-winning side in recent memory seemed to have a true anchor in central defense, an out-and-out defender who is willing to do the dirty work and sweep up, something City seemed to have lacked in their recent quarterfinal defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham.

The impact of a top-drawer defender has been further evidenced by last season’s competition, where Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk was a key piece in the Reds’ eventual triumph, while Matthijs de Ligt was massive in Ajax’s run to the semi-final stage. Therefore, Škriniar could be just the piece to put the final trophy in Guardiola’s cabinet at the Etihad Stadium: the ever-elusive Champions League.