Manchester City are now rivalling Real Madrid for the signature of a "tremendous" South American defender, who just made his international debut.
Man City keen to strengthen at centre-back
Man City have started to find their form over the past few weeks, with the 2-0 victory against Everton on Saturday making it three wins on the spin in the Premier League, in what was an improved performance from a defensive point of view.
The Blues limited the visitors to an xG of just 0.81, with the Toffees only managing to create one big chance in the entire match, which meant goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was left with very little to do, being forced to make just one save.
Aside from Erling Haaland, who scored a brace to continue his fantastic start to the season, Nathan Ake was one of City's best-performing players, receiving an 8.1 SofaScore match rating after winning all seven of the duels he contested, while also making one last-man tackle.
Manchester City defender Nathan Ake
Pep Guardiola is blessed with options at centre-back, with the likes of Rúben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol also on the books, but there has now been a suggestion that the manager could look at bringing in another defender.
According to a report from Defensa Central, Man City are now rivalling Real Madrid for the signature of River Plate centre-back Lautaro Rivero, whose recent performances have started to attract the attention of some of Europe's top clubs.
During the most recent international break, Rivero received his first call-up to the Argentina national side, making his debut in a 6-0 victory against Puerto Rico, having caught manager Lionel Scaloni's eye after emerging as one of River Plate's most exciting players.
Alongside City and Madrid, RB Leipzig and Juventus have also sent scouts to watch the youngster in action, so Guardiola's side may need to fend off interest from a number of Europe's biggest clubs.
"Tremendous" Rivero could become future star
Having now made his debut for Argentina, the young centre-back will be hoping to kick on, and there are indications he could become a top centre-back, having put in some solid performances from a defensive point of view over the past year, while also proving himself as a regular goal threat.
Statistic Average per 90 (past year)
Tackles 2.39 (95th percentile)
Blocks 1.46 (81st percentile)
Non-penalty goals 0.07 (79th percentile)
Journalist Juan Patricio Balbi has also been left impressed by the one-time Argentina international's performances at club level, lauding him for his "tremendous" performances at the end of last month.
Rivero is showing signs he could become a future star, so it is promising news that Man City have now joined the race for his signature, but it could be very difficult to compete with 15-time European champions Real Madrid.