Man City eye bargain £10m Arsenal target as they look to finally replace Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker left Man City in the summer, and the Cityzens never signed a right-back to replace him.
Man City sold Kyle Walker to fellow Premier League side Burnley in the summer, after eight years at the Etihad, during which he won six Premier League titles and a Champions League title.
However, after Man City sold Walker, they never signed a replacement for the 35-year-old, and so Pep Guardiola ended up playing Matheus Nunes out of position, as he is naturally a right-midfielder, but has been playing for City at the right-back position.
Nunes has performed really well, especially considering that he is playing out of position, but Man City will be keen to sign a new right-back in the summer to finally replace Walker following his summer departure last year.
Man City eye Arsenal target Fresneda
Reports are bringing up a name as a potential target for Man City, as it is understood that Sporting CP right-back Ivan Fresneda could be the potential long-term replacement for Walker.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Man City are interested in the 21-year-old and have been scouting him over the past few months. The report says that Arsenal are the front-runners to sign the Spanish defender, but seeing as the Gunners already have Jurrien Timber and Ben White, Man City might be able to guarantee him more regular game time in the short-term.
He has a market value of just £10m, but based on the fact that there is interest in him from across Europe, Sporting could demand much more for him, but even so, that could make him a real bargain.
Fresneda has made 31 appearances for Sporting so far this season, scoring one goal and providing three assists. He is an attack-minded full-back, much like Walker, and has a burst of pace to match, too.
Nunes claims right-back is ‘my position’
For all the reports linking Man City to Fresneda, there has to still be the consideration that Nunes is the long-term Walker replacement, as he has performed excellently in the right-back role, especially this season under Pep Guardiola.
The defender spoke about his position change two weeks ago, after he made his 100th appearance for the club in an interview with Man City’s official YouTube channel. Nunes claimed that despite it being difficult to change at first, he now sees right-back as his position.
He said: “It’s a difficult transition, especially because it’s not like I’ve done both positions throughout my career; it was a sudden change. I had to go through a difficult period of getting used to everything.
“It’s a responsibility that you want to take. After a while, I started to take it in a good way, and now I’m more than used to it. I think it’s my position. I can play midfield, right-back, anywhere; it just makes you more complete.”
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