Pep's fixing the CB problem

MANCHESTER CITY are set to splash £80m to re-build their defence ready for Pep Guardiola to take over as their manager.

City want to buy Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte and Everton's John Stones to give Guardiola the long-term centre back partnership he wants.
Vincent Kompany's nightmare injury record means City cannot go into next season relying on their long-serving skipper while Guardiola has doubts whether Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala are good enough for the high level he demands.

City's fourth centre back, the Argentina veteran Martin Demichelis, is leaving at the end of his contract this summer.
France international Laporte, 21, has a £40m get-out clause at Bilbao and has been linked with rivals Manchester United, while given Everton rejected a £38m bid from Chelsea last summer for England international Stones. But the Merseysiders are bracing themselves for a new approach from City this summer.
Kompany, 30, has suffered 14 different injuries since joining City in 2008 and will miss at least a month after limping off with a recurrence of his troublesome calf problem in the goal-less draw with Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.

He is set for another scan on the injury today amid fears he will miss the rest of the season. That would put a huge question mark over his hopes of playing for Belgium in Euro 2016 this summer and Guardiola is concerned the problem could blight his long-term future.

The good news for City is that Otamendi hopes to have recovered from the 'dead leg' that forced him off against Kiev in time for Sunday's Manchester derby when striker Sergio Aguero wants to kill off United's top four hopes - and strengthen City's.

Aguero said: "We have to win, even more so because the title is slipping further and further away, and we have to make sure we take fourth place.

"We still want the title, but we have to take into account that United are right behind us and it will be a tough game, we will have to play intensely.

"I think that over the last five years City have always competed hard in the derby, but as you say at one point United were huge and City have invested a lot of money to bring in quality players, and that has levelled the playing field.

"I don't know what is happening at United now, I just focus on City and we are thinking only about winning on Sunday and nothing else."

Aguero wants to avoid Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals which City have reached for the first time. The big two joined City, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Benfica and Wolfsburg last night [please amend accordingly depending on this evenings results!!]

He added: "You always want to go far, and to do that you have to face the best. Obviously Barca and Bayern should be there, and they are the two best teams on form so obviously if we can avoid them all the better. But at some point we will have to face them.

"The thing is for the last two years we have had to play against Barcelona and they are a very tough opponent, they are always favourites to win the Champions. It's difficult but we are happy to fulfil our goals.

"I'm just happy we are through. We are all here for this, to fight at the top [of European football]."

Same as yesterday. Two new CBs for sure. If we can get rid of Otamendi and Mangala, we'll need another one as well with kompany as backup and maybe Denayer too.

I can't see us selling both ota and Mango, kolarov as we'd basically be getting 4 or 5 new defenders which is probably too many.

I just wonder if Pep may see something in ota or mango or get them playing a different way. I know it may sound daft but sometimes a new manager finds strengths in players that others don't I always remember Mark Hughes & Stephen Ireland, Under sven we wanted Ireland out yet under Hughes he looked a different player.

Pep deploys a different system so some of the current crop we deem surplus may not be? interesting times ahead I think. Would love to see us get laporte, & varane. I read today that Marquinos may be leaving PSG in the summer if so i'm sure we'd be in for him and of course there is stones. Laporte can also play right back so options there as can Stones.

If some daft bastard's willing to pay £25m for Mangala, then sell him i say.....see if we can broker some kind of deal with Porto, as Fernando could be going there too.

If, as the article suggests, we do get 2 new CBs then Otamendi can go aswell...hopefully we can recruit around the £15m mark for him too.

I guess the number coming in will decide the number going out....excluding Demi leaving

Really not sure about Stones. Haven't Neverton dropped him?

If he's been dropped, then his price should be cheaper

I'd personally have Stones before anyone else...he's English, young and already had PL experience. Like most players, he'll be better in a better team with better players....well that's the theory anyway.

stones, varane, laporte, marqunihos

Stones, Laporte, Alaba, Bonnuci ( ) and Varane.

Get 3 or 4 of them. Sell Mango, Otamendi, Kolarov, Sagna or Zabba and thunk long and hard about kompany.