Reports have confirmed that Manchester City are chasing Inigo Martinez. The Real Sociedad defender has been subject to interest from Liverpool and Barcelona as well and a bidding war may soon be on its way to land the Spaniard. It is being reported that City scouts have kept a close eye on Martinez this season who has been in good form.
The 26-year-old has been admired by Guardiola and his signature would become even more beneficial given that he can play as a left back as well. City are short on that position with Benjamin Mendy ruled out for most of the season.
Having come through the Sociedad ranks and playing over 240 games for the club in just over 6 years, Martinez is a mainstay at their defence and prying him away will not be easy.
Pep Guardiola’s first choice centre-back John Stones has been ruled out with an injury and Pep has confirmed that City will be looking for further additions at the back in January. He believes the squad is too thin to challenge for all four trophies and bringing in more talent is necessary to keep City competitive.
The situation at City is now booming. Pep has formed a team that is well on its way to conquer Europe should they keep up their current form. The Manchester City team is heavily loaded with attacking talents from all across the globe and under Pep’s careful tutelage, the players have gelled well together to form a team that is producing nothing but swashbuckling score lines in their favour.
City has already scored 57 goals this season in a space of just three months and are hungry for more. However, upon close inspection, it can be seen that there are still a few cracks in that City team Pep would like to identify.
For starters, it has been no secret that Guardiola wants a new partner for John Stones at the back. With Kompany becoming more and more injury prone, Otamendi is not really Pep’s favoured choice. He is stuck with the error-prone Argentine for now and knowing Pep’s pursuit of perfection and City’s healthy wallet, they would like to diagnose and treat the illness before it spreads.
The situation now will be even more serious with Stones ruled out for a lengthy period with a hamstring injury.
Given City’s approach to problem solving is to open their deep wallet, it won’t be surprising to see City go out for a new centre-back, a ball playing player who can partner Stones for years to come. It is in this light that City will be chasing Inigo Martinez who will be a perfect partner for Stones and maybe a call from Pep might just convince the Spaniard to come to the Etihad.
