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Man City: Pep Guardiola says Premier League club will try to sign central defender

By Simon StoneBBC Sport in Nashville

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments231

Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones
Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones made 53 Premier League starts between them last season

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the club "will try" to sign a central defender this summer.

Eliaquim Mangala is expected to depart, which would leave City with Vincent Kompany, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi as established centre-backs.

"We don't have too much more to spend but we are going to see," said Guardiola, speaking before Saturday's friendly against Tottenham (23:00 BST).

City have spent about £200m this summer - £120m of that on three full-backs.

This month, England right-back Kyle Walker moved from Spurs for £45m, Brazil international Danilo joined from Real Madrid for £26.5m and France left-back Benjamin Mendy was recruited from Monaco for £52m.

They join Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva (£43m) and Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson Moraes (£35m) in arriving at City this summer.

City have also been linked with moves for Arsenal's Chile forward Alexis Sanchez and another Monaco player, £160m-rated 18-year-old France striker Kylian Mbappe.

However, Guardiola declined to answer questions on that duo, stating that "they are Arsenal and Monaco players".

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231 comments

  • Comment posted by Mordor Tourism Board, at 10:40 29 Jul 2017

    Why not just buy a whole new team?

    Why waste time with coaching, just buy the best players in the world and give them a kit to wear?

    I thought football management was more than just buying players. Apparently I am so wrong.

  • Comment posted by Vilyem Hize, at 10:37 29 Jul 2017

    Guardiola's managed three clubs with unlimited funds at each.

    Even Theresa May couldn't **** that up.

    He hasn't proved himself in the slightest.

    I take back the Theresa May analogy. Of course she would **** it up.

  • Comment posted by MrRight, at 10:29 29 Jul 2017

    A club, just one, coughs out 200 MILLION on 5 players!

    How on earth is that fair to the likes of Brighton?!

  • Comment posted by thepeltoncreeper, at 10:35 29 Jul 2017

    Guardiola the myth busted now has to try and buy a title how the mighty fall

  • Comment posted by Stoney, at 10:26 29 Jul 2017

    Man City's spending is morally corrupt. It's disgusting. It's anticompetitive. Their attempts to buy back the title are for all to see. Their flagrant disregard for financial fair play and to work within their means without the sugar daddy that is Sheikh Mansour is repugnant. It was not in the too distant past they were in the third division and had players like Joey Barton playing for them.

  • Comment posted by FOREST1992, at 10:17 29 Jul 2017

    overrated manager

  • Comment posted by Monkslovechips, at 10:48 29 Jul 2017

    Past a joke. Where is the skill is spotting emerging talent, bringing on home grown players, the nous to blend a team? This rampant excess will ruin the game and is ruining the league. And it's not envy, it's a dispiriting fact.

  • Comment posted by Peter North, at 10:21 29 Jul 2017

    Stop it. Just stop it. All this insane money flying around. It's just getting stupid.

    Do they not have an academy? Why not look internally first and give your youngsters a chance?

  • Comment posted by GreatCharacter, at 10:39 29 Jul 2017

    Basically " we need someone who can stand in for injury prone Kompany, bad-footballer-prone Stones, and hasnt-quite-taken-to-the-premiership Mangala ". Otamendi hasn't set the world alight either. City are trying to put out a fire by throwing cash on it.

  • Comment posted by Penelope Poopsalot, at 10:22 29 Jul 2017

    Pep Guardiola is fast becoming the pin up biy for greedy football agents and their overrated clients everwhere

  • Comment posted by thepeltoncreeper, at 10:40 29 Jul 2017

    Paul your a doorbell mate thebournmouths and brightons and hudsersfields are what makes our football so special fighting your way up not havin sugar daddy's elevate history less clubs like chelski and Man City to status they barely deserve

  • Comment posted by Not Now John, at 10:48 29 Jul 2017

    @16 Paul. No one should be singling out MCFC, the same cancer runs through CFC, MU, RM, Barca & PSG. The 'nonsense' in China has been stopped by it's Government clamping down on overseas signings & insisting on debts being paid off. The problem in Europe is that UEFA are wimps & hand-tied by the threat of rich clubs cutting loose to form their own league. Well, let them go & let TV subscribers pay

  • Comment posted by PGB Addick, at 10:20 29 Jul 2017

    I'll do it for 5m and one of those Bentleys

  • Comment posted by gowgetter, at 10:50 29 Jul 2017

    Football? Don't build your team...just go out and buy one...just like buying handbags and shoes...Obviously the man from Barcelona's been found out...

  • Comment posted by zeberdee1983, at 12:33 29 Jul 2017

    This confirms it. Pep is a fraud. Been found out. Good managers manage what they got and develop the youth. Not just go out and buy buy buy. This will make it about £400 million in the 2 seasons he has been here and still hasn't improved the team. I bet pellegrini is having a right old chortle.

  • Comment posted by Ken Currie, at 10:17 29 Jul 2017

    Three full backs for £120m? The football world has gone mad.

  • Comment posted by Stephen, at 10:51 29 Jul 2017

    Chequebook Manager 2018, out soon on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac.

  • Comment posted by Glad All Over - CPFC, at 14:55 29 Jul 2017

    It's amazing watching these managerial geniuses in Guardiola and Mourinho showing us how genius they are by spending hundreds of millions of pounds in a show of pure genius. Best in the world.

  • Comment posted by User0316694306, at 15:59 29 Jul 2017

    Blue bear@150. Todays players are not any better, just better payed. Do you think Best, Dalglish Greaves could not hold their own in today's game?

  • Comment posted by Go Cro, at 11:30 29 Jul 2017

    Guardiola can succeed only with line up sort of:
    Valdes - Alves, Puyol, Pique, Alba - Iniesta, Busquets, Xavi - Messi, Henry, Villa
    I would too...