MX23RW : Friday, January 17 21:34:15| >> :600:554276:554276:

Manchester City lining up £38m bid for Juventus defender Merih Demiral?

Man City lining up £38m Merih Demiral bid?
© Reuters
Manchester City are reportedly ready to rival Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City for Juventus defender Merih Demiral by tabling a £38m bid for the 21-year-old.

Manchester City are reportedly considering a €45m (£38.2m) January bid for Juventus defender Merih Demiral.

The English champions have suffered a centre-back shortage this season following the departure of Vincent Kompany and a long-term injury to Aymeric Laporte, forcing Fernandinho to play much of the campaign as an emergency defender.

Pep Guardiola has previously played down the prospect of City doing any major business in January, but Turkish outlet Sabah reports that the Spaniard has been impressed by Demiral's performances in Turin this season.

The 21-year-old has overtaken Matthijs de Ligt in the Juventus pecking order in recent weeks, despite the Italian giants spending £75m to sign De Ligt from Ajax just last summer.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City are all understood to have been alerted to Demiral's form and are tracking his progress, but they could now face competition from the big-spending champions.

However, the report goes on to state that, while City are lining up a January bid for the Turkey international, a move may not necessarily take place this month and could be postponed until the end of the season.

Demiral only joined Juventus from Sassuolo in July, signing a five-year contract in a deal worth a reported €18m (£15.3m).

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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21201050143661
2Manchester CityMan City22152562253747
3Leicester CityLeicester22143547212645
4Chelsea22123739291039
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd2297636251134
6Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd228862421332
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2271053128331
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs228683631530
9Crystal Palace227872024-429
10Arsenal2261062931-228
11Everton2284102532-728
12Southampton2284102739-1228
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2275102134-1326
14Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2266102530-524
15Burnley2273122437-1324
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2164112533-822
17Watford2257102034-1422
18Aston Villa2263132843-1521
19Bournemouth2255122035-1520
20Norwich CityNorwich2235142245-2314

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