Manchester City 'planning' to raid Newcastle or Juventus as Pep Guardiola wants defensive overhaul

After captain and right-back Kyle Walker left for AC Milan on loan - and seems unlikely to return - and with an ageing squad on his hands, manager Guardiola finds himself in a period of transition at the Etihad.

Over the coming years, it will be a case of out with the old and in with the new, with players like Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and John Stones eventually making way for younger talent. Already on the defensive end, Guardiola has started to bring in new blood, signing centre-backs Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, as well as 18-year-old Juma Bah.

But according to the Telegraph, Guardiola will target a full-back as a direct replacement for Walker - regardless of his future at the club.

They have reported that the two names at the top of his shopping list are Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, and Andrea Cambiaso from Juventus. Achraf Hakimi has also been considered (as he’s widely thought to be one of the best right-backs in Europe) but has committed his future to Paris Saint-Germain with a new contract.

In the meantime, Guardiola will also look to strengthen his midfield, even if a one-year extension is triggered on Gundogan. Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush have slotted into the team nicely, with the former even being hailed as a “mini-Rodri” by his new manager, but the Spaniard has conceded to the media that he does need far more squad depth.

He said: “You have to think about who can play every three days for a month, especially he guys who remain here and the guys who come, how is their history in terms of injures. That’s the most important thing otherwise it can happen the same as this season.

“You have to try to avoid it. The club has to sign players but at the same time the club has to keep the players we have as much as possible. With the World Cup then immediately the season, it will be even tougher next season, we need a little bit of a bigger squad.”