Man City Marc Guehi transfer reality as Liverpool and Arsenal stunned by January move

Manchester City are reportedly expressing interest in signing Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi in the January transfer window

Manchester City are reportedly formulating plans for the January transfer window in a bid to salvage their title hopes against Arsenal. The Gunners currently hold a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, with City and Aston Villa trailing in second and third place respectively, both level on 42 points.

City were forced to settle for point in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea after a late equaliser from Enzo Fernandez cancelled out Tijjani Reijnders' opening goal at the Etihad Stadium. Arsenal, meanwhile, claimed a 3-2 win over Bournemouth earlier in the weekend.

The January transfer window is now open, providing City and the rest of the Premier League with an opportunity to bolster their squads with new signings if they so choose.

City have been linked with several potential new signings already, including Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, and now it seems another target is being lined up.

BBC Sport have reported that City are showing interest in Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. City are yet to officially approach Palace about signing Guehi, but are intensifying their interest due to recent injury setbacks.

City's draw with Chelsea on Sunday saw them suffer injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol. Both players were forced off the pitch during the second half in Manchester, leaving Pep Guardiola's side with Nathan Ake and Abdukodir Khusanov as the centre-back duo that finished the match.

It has now emerged that Gvardiol suffered a broken tibia and will require surgery to fix the issue, which may mean the Croatian star misses the rest of the Premier League season.

Liverpool have also previously shown strong interest in signing Guehi, particularly during the summer transfer window.

Liverpool had agreed a £35million deal to bring Guehi from Crystal Palace on the final day of the transfer window in September, but the move fell through at the last minute. As a result, the England international has spent the first half of the season at Selhurst Park.

City also have John Stones on the sidelines with an injury, leaving Guardiola now without three senior central defensive options. The City boss explained how he plans to manage his squad after the double injury blow to Gvardiol and Rias.

"We will see tomorrow, it doesn't look good for him [Gvardiol] and Ruben [Dias]. If Ruben is out it is because he felt something, Guardiola said.

"We have a lot [of injuries]. John Stones missing, Ruben will be out, Josko will be out and Nathan, always we know is Nathan and cannot play regularly. But at the same time it happened last season so stay strong and we will find a solution. The spirit will be there."

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