Manchester City may look to bring defender Pablo Marí back from Flamengo as they seek to solve their issues in central defence.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been rocked by problems in the heart of their defence this season after Aymeric Laporte suffered a knee injury back in September.
The Premier League champions have tried to weather on without the Frenchman since then, but the likes of John Stones and Nicolás Otamendi have failed to impress.
Fernandinho has also been used in the position while Eric García made his Champions League debut this week with Stones set to miss the next few weeks through injury.
Reports have suggested Manchester City’s priority will be a new centre-back in January and according to Todo Fichajes, Marí is at the top of the list.
He departed the Etihad for Flamengo this summer but has impressed in Brazil, winning the Copa Libertadores with his new club and being named the best defender in the country.
That’s seemingly caught Manchester City’s eye, and they are ready to rival Sevilla and Valencia to bring their former player back to the club.
Fichajes make no mention of a transfer fee, but it’s stated the player is aware of the interest and has ordered his agent to wait until he has played in the Club World Cup before listening to the offers from Valencia and the Premier League champions.
It would not be the first time City have signed a player they’ve sold elsewhere, having brought back Angeliño back this summer from PSV Eindhoven.
That deal included a buy-back option, though, and there’s no mention of there being one in this instance.
It’s also a little dubious that City would want to pay to bring a 26-year-old defender back to the club after one good season when they had him for three years and didn’t see anything they liked.
Of course, it can be argued that he should have been given a chance, but until there’s something more concrete from someone a little more reliable, it’s best to hold your horses on this rumour.
