Man City tipped to raid European giants for £52m star as Guardiola eyes replacement for senior player

Manchester City are considering replacing Kyle Walker with Atletico Madrid right-back Nahuel Molina this summer, according to reports. 

Pep Guardiola’s side are currently chasing down another Premier League title. However, the manager seemingly has one eye on the future.

Indeed, Man City are eyeing several transfer targets at the moment. Interestingly, one of the key areas they are looking to improve is right-back.

Walker has been a great servant to the Cityzens since joining the club in 2017.

Overall, he has made 246 appearances across all competitions, helping his team win 11 major trophies. He could still add another three to that tally, too.

This season, while Walker has fallen down Guardiola’s pecking order somewhat, he has still made 23 Premier League appearances.

However, with just over a year remaining on his contract, the 32-year-old isn’t in the manager’s long-term plans. Interestingly, he has been linked with a summer switch to one of his former clubs, Sheffield United.

As a result, Man City are already eyeing potential replacement options who can fill that position for years to come.

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Man City ‘willing’ to meet Molina price tag

Now, a report out of Spain (as cited by Sport Witness) has claimed Man City are ‘keeping tabs’ on Molina ahead of a potential summer move.

The Atletico Madrid star, who can play as a right-back or right-winger, has featured 28 times this season, scoring three goals and making two assists.

This has reportedly ‘caught the eye’ of Guardiola, who could replace Walker with Molina.

Also, Man City still need to replace Joao Cancelo, too, who is expected to sign for Barcelona this summer – after joining Bayern Munich on loan in January.

Molina could potentially play a similar role to Cancelo for Man City, in the sense that he carries a threat going forward as well as being a defensive asset.

The report states that the Cityzens are ‘willing to pay what Atletico Madrid want’ for Molina, which is believed to be a fee of €60m (approx. £52m).

Walker and Cancelo are both tough acts to follow, but Molina is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in LaLiga. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Man City bring him in this summer.

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