Manchester City officials keep door open to major transfer for Serie A defender

Manchester City are interested in bolstering their back-four even further, according to a new report.

This comes as Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar has now been linked to the reigning Premier League champions.

Despite sitting just one point behind Arsenal in the Premier League table, the start of the season has not been kind to Manchester City’s back line. 

Amongst other players in the squad, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker, and Aymeric Laporte have all been injured at one point or another.

Currently, the latter is the only of the aforementioned names to still be unavailable.

However, Pep Guardiola hopes to have the Spain international back on the pitch after the upcoming international break.

These injuries have forced Guardiola to stretch his bench to breaking point.

The Catalan coach has been seen pitting players in unnatural positions at some stages.

This includes John Stones being used as a right-back against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League group stage this month.

In an attempt to get through untimely absences, Manchester City added another centre-back to their squad with Manuel Akanji joining from Dortmund on deadline day for a fee in the region of £15 million.

However, City officials may not be closing the door on the issue.

Manuel Akanji in action for Manchester City.

Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar is now on their radar for a move in the near future, as reported by The Sun.

The 27-year-old’s contract with Inter ends at the conclusion of this season, potentially bringing a close to a five-year tenure at the San Siro, where he has appeared in over 220 games, winning Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italia in the process.

Manchester City are not the only Premiership club in the running for the Slovakian, as Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are reported to be interested in adding to their back line.

This is not the first time that Skriniar’s name has been featured in transfer rumours.

Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar. (Alamy)

Over the summer, Paris Saint Germain made an enquiry with the Italian side, offering a fee upwards of £43 million - an amount which was ultimately rejected.

Regardless of interest, any offers for Milan Skriniar will now have to wait until the beginning of next year, as Inter Milan have the right to offer a new contract prior to other clubs in the running.