Eliaquim Mangala is being touted to make a January move after his performances have left Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, unimpressed. The Frenchman is gathering interest from a whole host of clubs and reports from Talksport are claiming that Inter Milan remain interested in securing the player’s services.
According to the report in Tuttosport, as covered by talkSPORT, they have made a three-man shortlist. The Italian side are currently assessing their options and will be hoping to sign one of Manchester City centre-back Eliaquim Mangala, ex-Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen or Leicester City defender Yohan Benalouane in January.
The Milan club are looking to strengthen their defensive options in January and a new centre-back is at the top of their Christmas wishlist. The club has sent some of their scouts across Europe to search for a feasible deal to be done in the winter transfer window and they have come back with the names of the three aforementioned candidates. The San Siro based outfit are also considering taking one of them on loan with all three defenders failing to feature for their respective clubs regularly.
Eliaquim Mangala has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium and a move away seems to be the best option for both the club and the player. Inter Milan were already interested in signing the defender during the summer but a deal failed to materialise. However, they are all set to rekindle their interest and make a formal approach to secure the centre-back’s services either permanently or on loan in January.
It was also reported that Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola won’t stand in his way if a deal can be agreed, with the 26-year-old desperately wanting to come back into regular first-team football.
The former Standard Liege defender was signed by Manchester City from FC Porto in August 2014 on a five-year contract. The deal was reportedly worth to be in the region of £31.8 million. Since then, the defender has gone on to make 69 appearances for the Citizens of Manchester.
However, the 26-year-old has found himself behind the pecking order this season. The excellent form of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi has kept him out of the Manchester City starting eleven. With his increasing desire for first-team football, Inter Milan has discovered him as the ideal candidate for their defensive set-up at the San Siro.
Whether Inter Milan actually make a move for Eliaquim Mangala in January remains to be seen. Manchester City are currently facing a crisis in their defensive ranks with the likes of John Stones and Vincent Kompany being injury prone and might consider the circumstances before taking any decision regarding the departure of the ex-Valencia defender.
