Manchester City have made Newcastle’s Tino Livramento their “no.1 target” to strengthen their right-back spot, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The former Chelsea and Southampton player has been on the club’s shortlist for quite some time but it now appears that the Cityzens will make a concerted effort to sign him above other options.
Up until very recently, it was assumed that Juventus’s Andrea Cambiaso would be the player targeted, with Pep Guardiola’s side having also tried to buy the Italian international during the January transfer window.
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His Juve teammate Nicolo Savona has also been mentioned as a potential alternative, while reports in Brazil have suggested that Flamengo star Wesley is being pursued as well.
However, Romano has now confirmed that Livramento is the top priority to replace Kyle Walker.
Newcastle won’t make things easy for City
Reports in the local press have claimed that it would take an “astronomical” offer for the Magpies to consider selling Livramento.
They paid £40m to sign the 22-year-old from Southampton at the start of last season and he has subsequently established himself as a regular starter ahead of Kieran Trippier.
Their reluctance to offload Livramento means the Cityzens will have an uphill task trying to secure their top target.
What is the situation with Walker?
The 34-year-old’s loan spell at AC Milan expires next month and the Rossoneri are not expected to take up their option to sign the defender on a permanent deal. With the player set to return to the Etihad, Guardiola was asked whether Walker could feature in upcoming fixtures. He replied:
“Walker will not be with us at the Club World Cup.”
That doesn’t necessarily rule out Walker playing for the club again (with the player still having a year left on his contract) but the feeling is that he will be sold when the transfer window reopens.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here