From Italy: Manchester City made surprise loan offer for 24-year-old defender in January

 

For all the positives Pep Guardiola has brought to Manchester City since his arrival, one big question mark has lingered over the Spaniard: conceding goals.

Struggling to keep clean sheets despite spending a lot of money on John Stones and 33-year-old Claudio Bravo, the Citizens have struggled to keep forwards at bay, which led to rumours of an arrival in defence over January.

With the transfer window now over, it isn’t surprising to see stories claiming that Manchester City did try to bring someone in, even if it was short term.

FCInterNews on Wednesday claim that Pep Guardiola tried to convince Inter Milan defender Jeison Murillo to join him in Manchester on loan without an option to buy.

However, the Serie A side quickly stepped in the way, making it clear they had no interest in seeing the Colombian centre-back leave midway through the season.

In fact, Inter are keen to renew the 24-year-old’s contract at the San Siro, even if there is ‘no certainty’, according to the website, that a deal could be reached.

We’re certainly expecting a few more of these to emerge in the future, with defence being an area Guardiola looks at once more in the summer.