Pep Guardiola has requested £50million to strengthen his defensive and attacking options.
Guardiola is interested in bringing in Inigo Martinez (right) to sure up his defensive options
It has been reported by The Sun that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has requested a transfer kitty of £50m to spend on a forward and a defender this January window.
It is well known that Guardiola has his eyes on a reunion with Arsenal’s Chilean talisman Alexis Sanchez whom he signed during his time as Barcelona manager.
Guardiola gave Alexis Sanchez the first high profile move of his career when he signed the Chilean for Barcelona in 2011
Sanchez, who only has six months left on his contract, would cost much less than the £60m transfer he was linked with last summer. However, Arsenal seem to wish to remain stubborn and maintain that they are unwilling to let the 29-year-old leave before his contract runs out.
Despite the dominance they have maintained all season so far, City have still had their share of problems at the back. Veteran captain Vincent Kompany has struggled with injuries all season and it believed that Guardiola wishes to bring in another central defender to relieve the pressure on Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones.
Martinez has won four caps for Spain since his debut in 2013
The centre back of choice appears to be Inigo Martinez of Real Socieded who has a modest release clause, in today’s current climate, of approximately £28million.
Comfortable on the ball, Martinez is a full Spanish international and has been an extremely consistent performer for Sociedad in La Liga over the past six seasons.
Martinez is believed to be the preferred option over Samuel Umtiti who has a £50million price tag attached to him, as Barcelona attempt to recoup some money to fund their Philippe Coutinho mega deal.
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