Manchester City could target Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell in the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. The defending English champions find themselves short of options at left-back after Joao Cancelo’s departure to Bayern Munich on loan. Consequently, they are looking across Europe for a potential replacement should the Bundesliga club make the 28-year-old’s move permanent.
Manchester City Looking to Sign Ben Chilwell in the Summer
The Citizens’ Crisis at the Left-Back Spot
Pep Guardiola’s side have lost a couple of highly talented left-backs in the last six months. Oleksandr Zinchenko left the club in the summer for rivals, Arsenal. This has proved to be a costly mistake as the Ukrainian international is playing a starring role in the Gunners’ rise to the top of the Premier League table. In addition to this, Guardiola has also shown the door to last season’s star performer, Cancelo.
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City’s summer recruit from Anderlecht, Sergio Gomez, has made sporadic appearances in the league. The Spaniard has only managed to accumulate 106 minutes on the pitch with the likes of Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis preferred over him in the starting lineup.
Cancelo’s Falling Out With Pep Guardiola
Lack of game time reportedly caused the relationship between Guardiola and the former Juventus man to deteriorate. Since the World Cup, Cancelo has made only two starts in the league and completed 90 minutes on the pitch in only one of those appearances. This is in stark contrast to the 16 consecutive starts he made before the World Cup. This led to the 28-year-old to formally request to leave the club in January.
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Despite being brought in to compete with Kyle Walker for a spot at the right-back position, the defender has excelled on the left side of the defence. He contributed to five goals and 11 assists in his time at the Etihad Stadium, while also inheriting the coveted squad number 7 after Raheem Sterling’s departure to Chelsea, further signifying his importance to the squad.
Ben Chilwell to Come to Manchester in the Summer?
The Sky Blues would undoubtedly look to get a top-quality left-back in the summer. The 26-year-old ticks all the right boxes for Guardiola and his tactics. The former Leicester City man is very comfortable on the ball and is happy to receive a pass when under pressure, so he is perfectly suited to playing in a team that dominates possession and plays out from the back, like Man City.
With Marc Cucurella ahead of him in the pecking order at Chelsea, it will not be a complete shock to see the Englishman switch allegiances and ply his trade for the Citizens next season.
