The two Premier League full-backs Man City must target instead of Newcastle's Tino Livramento
Man City have a longstanding transfer interest in Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento.
Man City have been able to replace their older players well so far this summer, with Tijani Reijnders replacing Kevin De Bruyne, James Trafford coming in to replace Ederson in goal too.
However, since Kyle Walker left to join newly-promoted side Burnley, City haven’t replaced the England international. They signed Wolves full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, but he plays on the left, and so they still need someone to replace Walker.
Tino Livramento from Newcastle has been a target for Man City, but the Magpies have said that the English full-back isn’t for sale this summer, setting a very high price tag, which has all but priced City out of a deal for him. So who should they sign instead?
City should re-ignite Porro interest
One of the best attributes about Walker is that he was very fast, but still able to be very good on the ball when going forward. It meant that for City, he was the complete full-back, who could both attack and defend.
In terms of a potential replacement, Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro screams out as an option, seeing as the Argentine is very good defensively, but he also has one of the best deliveries of any full-back in the league.
Man City have previously been credited with interest in Porro, but this summer, he hasn’t emerged as a target. Pep Guardiola should consider re-igniting his interest in the Spurs star, who has a market value of £33m.
Furthermore, seeing as Djed Spence emerged as a top performer for Spurs last year, the North London club will surely be more open to selling Porro. He made 33 Premier League appearances last year, and was dealing with injury problems, making this potentially the cheapest time to buy the Spanish international.
Man City could also target Forest star Aina
If City didn’t want Porro, they could consider one of the best full-backs in the Premier League from last year, Nottingham Forest’s Ola Aina. The Nigerian international made 37 appearances for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side last year, scoring two goals, and providing one assist.
He is more of a defensive option compared to Porro, but that could be of a benefit to City, as last season their biggest weakness was arguably in defence. He would provide more of a solid option compared to Rico Lewis, who will likely start at right-back if City don’t sign a Walker replacement.
The only issue with Aina is that he signed a new three-year deal at Forest recently, but if City were to come calling, then the 28-year-old would surely push for the move. He would also be considerably cheaper than Porro, too, as he has an estimated market value of just £19m. Aina is also capable of playing as a left-back, something which could be useful for City if they face injury problems like they did last season.