Crystal Palace have reportedly submitted an offer to sign Manuel Akanjiplaceholder image
Crystal Palace have reportedly submitted an offer to sign Manuel Akanji | Getty Images/ Canva
The 71-time international is seen as a top candidate to replace Marc Guehi amid uncertainty surrounding the England international’s future at Selhurst Park
FA Cup holders Crystal Palace have reportedly submitted an opening offer to try and sign Manuel Akanji from Manchester City ahead of this summer’s transfer deadline day on September 1.
The Eagles have been one of the quietest teams in the division on the transfer front this summer despite lifting their first piece of silverware in the club’s history against the Sky Blues at Wembley while subsequently securing qualification for the UEFA Conference League.
Experienced goalkeeper Walter Benitez and full-back Borna Sosa have so far been the only first team additions after arriving from PSV Eindhoven and Ajax respectively but the club are more than aware that they’ll need more quality to cope with the demands of football on the continent, particularly after the £68m sale of Eberechi Eze to title hopefuls Arsenal.
Crystal Palace push to sign Manuel Akanji
SunSport reports that Crystal Palace have tabled an offer worth somewhere in the region of £15m to sign Manuel Akanji from Manchester City. The 71-time Switzerland international is yet to make an appearance in the league this season and was left out of the matchday squad entirely during Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Akanji is under contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2027 but could be available this summer after falling down the pecking order. City’s existing centre back options include Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake and January signing Abdukodir Khusanov while the club also have Vitor Reis on the books but have opted to send him out on loan to Girona in La Liga.
What does the future hold for Manuel Akanji?
Manuel Akanji has racked up a combined total of 136 first team appearances for Manchester City, scoring five times and chipping in with three assists. He joined from Borussia Dortmund in a £15m deal in 2022 and was expected to be a backup centre-back before emerging as one of the first names on the teamsheet throughout his debut campaign as he played at left-back and right-back along with his natural position.
Akanji had more first team minutes than any other defender in his debut campaign as City stormed to the treble in 2022/23. He continued to feature regularly with 48 appearances in total the following season, but found last season more challenging as the Sky Blues failed to defend their league title while also finishing trophyless for just the second time in Pep Guardiola’s career.
The 30-year-old is likely to be available this summer for the right price and that has alerted Crystal Palace, who are weighing up potential replacements for captain Marc Guehi, who has just one year to run on his contract at Selhurst Park.
Guehi has attracted interest from Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in recent transfer windows, but it appears that champions Liverpool are the prime contenders to sign the England international.
Mail Sport also understands that Galatasaray are lining up an alternative offer to sign Akanji, although it’s thought the 30-year-old’spreference is to remain at City and fight for his place for another season. He hit back at Fabrizio Romano’s claim that he was closing in on a move to the Turkish giants by commenting in a now deleted post from the Italian on X: “Don’t know anything about that.”
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