Manchester City are reportedly plotting a swoop for Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber to reunite the star with manager Pep Guardiola.

ESPN are claiming that, as per their sources, Manchester City are interested in Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber. The 27-year-old has returned to full fitness after being on the sidelines for a long time and could now be on the move to the Premier League as Pep Guardiola aims to bolster his defensive options.

Holger Badstuber is a 27-year-old German international who is one of the many superstars to come through the esteemed Bayern Munich academy. The Bavarian academy graduate has been a one-club man during his entire footballing career up until now, notching up more than 200 appearances for Bayern in all competitions, 177 of those coming in the Bundesliga.

The left-footed defender has spent much of his past couple of years on the sidelines with injuries but is now back to full fitness, with 3 appearances in the past couple of months for Bayern Munich. The 27-year-old, though, is yet to regain his place as a regular in the first-team setup under new manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Manchester City, on the other hand, have been struggling with defensive woes of their own. Pep Guardiola signed promising John Stones from Everton in the summer transfer window in what was hailed as a perfect union. But, it certainly hasn’t panned out that way with the English international putting in less than assured performances at the back.

Will Holger dare to leave his home for a new venture? (Picture Courtesy - AFP/Getty Images)
Will Holger dare to leave his home for a new venture? (Picture Courtesy – AFP/Getty Images)

This, combined with the prolonged time on the sidelines for Vincent Kompany, has put the Citizens on the back-foot defensively. As a result, City have been linked with potential additions to the central defence in the coming weeks, the most prominent name being Virgil Van Dijk, but are set to face competition from other top Premier League clubs for the Southampton centre-back.

Unlike Van Dijk, Badstuber is yet to be reported to be on the radar of other clubs at the present moment, which gives City a clearer path compared to the Dutchman. Add to that the fact that the player’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the summer and Badstuber presents a realistic target for Pep.

Guardiola has had previous experience of working with Badstuber during his tenure at Bayern Munich and may move for the Germany international. The defender is unlikely to cost an exorbitant fee either, with the player entering the final six months of his contract at the Allianz Arena.

Even though Badstuber has been a one-club man up until now, the 27-year-old must move in order to secure regular first-team football, which he is unlikely to get at Bayern. Who knows, a move to a new league might just be what Badstuber needs in order to reinvent and re-establish himself as one of the leading centre-backs in Europe.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Recommended

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.