Manchester City's injury woes have intensified, with centre-back Josko Gvardiol suffering a tibial fracture in the second half of their 1-1 draw against Chelsea. The Croatian defender was forced off the pitch during the match and is now set to undergo surgery later this week.
The setback has raised questions about Manchester City's defensive depth ahead of the transfer window. Ruben Dias also picked up an injury during the same match, which, combined with John Stones' ongoing absence, leaves the club short at centre-back. In response, City have already recalled 20-year-old Max Alleyne from his loan spell at Watford.
However, the decision to enter the market now may be accelerated due to Gvardiol's injury. Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi has long been a target for Manchester City and is now in increased demand as the England international remains out of contract at the end of this season. Despite reports suggesting Liverpool could try to sign him in this transfer window, Palace are braced for offers from other clubs, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
The situation becomes even more complicated with Real Madrid's interest in Guehi potentially cooling due to concerns about his commitment to the club. Palace have maintained that nothing has been decided about whether Guehi will leave this month, but it seems increasingly likely that they will receive offers for him in January. The asking price, however, may be lower than last summer's £35m when he almost signed for Liverpool.
The setback has raised questions about Manchester City's defensive depth ahead of the transfer window. Ruben Dias also picked up an injury during the same match, which, combined with John Stones' ongoing absence, leaves the club short at centre-back. In response, City have already recalled 20-year-old Max Alleyne from his loan spell at Watford.
However, the decision to enter the market now may be accelerated due to Gvardiol's injury. Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi has long been a target for Manchester City and is now in increased demand as the England international remains out of contract at the end of this season. Despite reports suggesting Liverpool could try to sign him in this transfer window, Palace are braced for offers from other clubs, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
The situation becomes even more complicated with Real Madrid's interest in Guehi potentially cooling due to concerns about his commitment to the club. Palace have maintained that nothing has been decided about whether Guehi will leave this month, but it seems increasingly likely that they will receive offers for him in January. The asking price, however, may be lower than last summer's £35m when he almost signed for Liverpool.
come on man, palace is just playing hardball here. they know guehi is a gem and not many clubs are gonna pass up the chance to sign him, especially with the euros around the corner 
. i think palace is being smart, raising their price to get a good deal. £35m was already steep last summer, now they're gonna want even more? 
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. I mean, Gvardiol now has a tibial fracture and Ruben Dias got hurt too? That's just not good. They need to strengthen their defense ASAP or else it'll be a long season for them.
. Palace is getting offers from all over, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona? That's crazy! I think they're gonna get some decent deals if they decide to sell Marc Guehi. But £35m was already a steep price last summer... maybe it'll be lower this time around? We'll see 
. One thing for sure is that City needs to make a move ASAP or risk falling behind in the league 
Plus, the asking price might be a bit steep, especially if Real Madrid is cooling off on him because of Guehi's commitment issues 
. Manchester City should focus on developing their own players first, like Max Alleyne, rather than relying on transfers to fix their problems 
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... Manchester City can't even catch a break with all these injuries! 
Josko Gvardiol now has a tibial fracture and you know what that means, more money spent on band-aids 
... Ruben Dias was already struggling and John Stones hasn't even started the season yet. What's going on over there? 
And don't even get me started on this Max Alleyne kid being recalled from his loan spell. Like, what's next? 
. With Gvardiol and Dias already injured and Stones missing, they're leaving themselves exposed 
It's crazy how much interest he's got from top clubs now. Bayern Munich and Barcelona are sniffing around, but Palace is trying to hold firm... maybe they'll get a better offer than £35m this time around 
. But for City, the clock is ticking - can they find another reliable centre-back before January? 
. And now Josko Gvardiol is out with a tibial fracture... just great 
, but let's be real, he's only 20 and in his first big league loan spell 
Marc Guehi is a talented player, but £35m was way too much last summer... I mean, what were Palace thinking?! 
I mean, Josko Gvardiol gets hurt and now they're scrambling to sign Marc Guehi? It's like, what's next? Will we see Pep Guardiola shouting "defend! defend!" from the sidelines 
[GIF: A GIF of a person running with their eyes closed]
Palace is just trolling us with Guehi's availability 
Real Madrid's interest might be cooling, but it's still a "what's good?" situation 
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Manchester City should've had a backup plan for their centre-backs ages ago 
and max alleyne, really? i mean, he's got potential but come on, can't they just sign someone decent for once? 
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. Sure, they need a new centre-back but recruiting in the middle of the season can be super tricky 
As for Marc Guehi, I don't blame Palace if they want to hold out for a better offer... 35m was already a steep price last summer, and now that Liverpool is out of the picture (fingers crossed!), maybe they can get a better deal. Fingers crossed City can sort their defense issues soon! 