According to The Times, as cited by Manchester Evening News, Manchester City are ready to battle it out with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea for the signing of Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The player has been a silver lining for the Eagles this season amidst disappointing performances by most of the players and has reportedly attracted attention from the big guns.
Manchester City are on a roll at this moment in all domestic competitions, having decimated each one of their opponents in the last three matches, with a cumulative goal count of 19 against the likes of Rotherham United (7-0; Carabao Cup), Burton Albion (9-0; FA Cup) and Wolves (3-0; Premier League).
However, they would not like to forget the surprise setback they had to face against the less fancied oppositions like Crystal Palace and Leicester City in the Premier League, who won against them in December.
With injuries to key players being a problem this season, Pep Guardiola would be looking to increase his squad depth with the business end of the season still to come. A player like Wan-Bissaka could be a very valuable addition to his squad, and with age on his side, he could turn out to be a long term acquisition for the Citizens.
Kyle Walker, who is the confirmed starter in most of the matches in the Premier League and Champions League, has been a consistent performer since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium. However, the same can’t be said about his backup in the right back role, Danilo, as the player has not been able to take on the challenges of the Premier League and has succumbed to injuries quite often. This could be a cause of concern for the Spanish gaffer and Wan-Bissaka could be the perfect solution to it.
The England U-21 international has been a consistent performer for Roy Hodgson’s side this season so far and has played in all of the 22 matches in the Premier League barring one. His darting runs down the right flank have been good enough to deceive even the best defenders while his defensive attributes against the some of the best attackers in Europe have earned rave reviews from a number of experts.
However, it would not be easy for City to lure the player out of Selhurst Park on the watch of the veteran English gaffer, but if they can pull off the deal, it would be a brilliant signing for the Citizens. Guardiola would have the perfect replacement for Walker at his disposal and Manchester City would be happy to have their hands on yet another young talent, who could turn out to be an asset for them in the future.
This article was written before Manchester City’s match against Huddersfield Town and stats from that match has not been taken into account.
