**Josko Gvardiol was taken off in the second-half of Manchester City’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening.**
The Croatian has been the bedrock of Pep Guardiola’s backline in the last 12 months, exceeding expectations in the recent campaign wherein he played out of position for large periods to cover for Manchester City’s frailties at left-back.
Since the closing stages of the 2024-25 season, Gvardiol has forged a reliable partnership with Ruben Dias at the heart of Manchester City’s defence, with Nathan Ake and John Stones facing uncertain futures at the Etihad Stadium.
City are embroiled in a tight title race with Arsenal and are competing on four fronts, with director of football Hugo Viana monitoring the January transfer market for potential reinforcements for the second half of the season.
The Blues are not expected to be nearly as active in January as they were last summer – when Viana revamped the senior squad with seven new signings and several exits – as they close in on the arrival of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth.
However, those preliminary transfer plans could be upended after Gvardiol was hauled off early in the second-half of Manchester City’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening.
**This is a developing story. More to follow.**