Juventus to hold firm on future of reported Manchester City transfer target as January plans continue to falter | OneFootball

Manchester City continue to face struggles in their plans for recruitment across Pep Guardiola’s squad during the ongoing January transfer window.

The belief in various quarters was that the Premier League champions would aim to bring in a new defensive midfielder into Pep Guardiola’s roster for the remainder of the campaign, particularly in light of Rodri’s long-term injury-induced absence from the team.

However, the club have already distanced themselves from two high-profile names due to concerns over their availability and the cost required to make a deal happen at the midway stage of the season.

That concerned interest in Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, although the profile of Atalanta’s Ederson remains of interest and City believe there may be a deal to be done there in January.

One more left-field name concerns a player formally of the Etihad Stadium’s squad roster in Douglas Luiz, who left the club following a string of work permit issues for Aston Villa after loan spells at Girona.

Reports from Italy have indicated in recent weeks that Manchester City may look into the possibility of a loan move for the Brazil international, but the chances of that happening have now been played down in a new report.

That is according to the information of Italian newspaper Tuttosport, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, who claim that while City manager Pep Guardiola does have a liking for Douglas Luiz, Juventus coach Thiago Motta is keen on giving the Brazilian another chance.

It is claimed that despite links to the Etihad Stadium, the Juventus boss has seen enough to feel that Douglas Luiz can make an impact on his side, and the Italian giants now believe that they will retain the former Aston Villa player beyond this month.

It remains to be seen where Manchester City may turn their attentions to in the market should Luiz be deemed unavailable, particularly if Ederson of Atalanta also appears to be a no-go from a financial or sporting perspective.

City currently have their attentions tied to players in the central defensive and attacking ranks, as they continue to be linked with a move for Lens’ Uzbek centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush.

Both players could come into Pep Guardiola’s squad for a combined cost of well below the £100 million mark, although there are significant fluctuations in the valuation being reported around Khusanov in particular amid interest from Real Madrid and Newcastle United.