Manchester City could move for Chelsea and England star

Despite Premier League clubs having contributed to a record-breaking combined January transfer window spend, reigning champions Manchester City were one of the quietest top flight clubs in the market. 

Pep Guardiola’s side made just one signing, with Argentinian youngster Maximo Perrone moving to The Etihad.

The Citizens did, however, make a high-profile sale, with Joao Cancelo leaving the club to join German champions Bayern Munich, initially on loan with an option-to-buy clause included in the deal.

The full-back is alleged to have fallen out with Guardiola, with his departure coming after he had seen a huge decrease in his playing time of late, although the move was surprising nonetheless.

Now, it is claimed that City could look to a Chelsea star to replace Cancelo if the Portugal international does make his move to Germany a permanent one.

According to The Times, City could move for Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell as a replacement for Cancelo.

Chilwell hasn’t played since picking up an injury in the Champions League in November

Chilwell, 26, joined Chelsea from Leicester City back in 2020, but has been plagued by injuries throughout his short career at Stamford Bridge so far.

The left-back, who is a regular for England, has made 68 appearances for his current side but has suffered two major injuries over the past 12 months, causing him to miss a total of more than 50 matches.

Despite his worrying injury record, City are said to be interested in the Englishman, who is widely regarded as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League when fully fit.

With Cancelo primarily used as a substitute in recent weeks, Guardiola has used youngster Rico Lewis in his absence, as well as deploying centre-back Nathan Ake on the left of defence at times.

City sold Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is capable of playing at left-back or in midfield, to rivals Arsenal at the start of the current campaign, and the Ukraine international has been pivotal to The Gunners’ success so far this season.