Man City preparing bid to sign £54m star

Manchester City are certainly not hanging about in the January transfer window. Pep Guardiola has already made three signings, with Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis making the move to The Etihad this money to bolster the squad.

Considering the poor run of form that the club have been on since November last year, winning just five times in all competitions during that time, some fresh additions were needed.

With just over a week left of the winter window, it doesn’t look like Guardiola is finished there, as he could be set to sign another player or two ahead of a crucial few months.

One move might be closer than the rest…

Man City ready bid for Juventus star

According to the Gazzetta, City will make a bid for Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso sooner rather than later in an attempt to lure him from the Serie A side.

The report goes on to state that a bid of around €65m (£54m) could be made, although the Italian side value the 24-year-old at €80m (£67.5m), which could make a deal slightly more difficult to seal.

It remains to be seen, though, whether or not the Cityzens are prepared to go as high as £67.5m to strike an agreement to bring the Juventus ace to England this month.

It is clear that Guardiola is now building a team for the future. After their poor displays, the current era of City dominance could come to an end unless they move quickly to rebuild their side, which is what they appear to be doing.

Cambiaso would be an excellent addition, especially as he is similar to another City transfer target…

Andrea Cambiaso could be City’s own Joshua Kimmich

Guardiola is showing plenty of interest in reuniting with Kimmich. His contract expires at the end of the season, although Bayern Munich are keen on extending his deal.

The 29-year-old has amassed over 400 competitive appearances for the Bavarian side, which speaks to his experience at the top level.

While signing him would be a statement of intent, Cambiaso has displayed qualities recently that could make him a better signing, especially in the long run.

According to FBref, Kimmich is the sixth-most comparable player to Cambiaso over the previous 365 days based on their respective statistical profiles.

Indeed, the pair have even registered similar statistics across a range of metrics this season, including pass success rate (89.4% vs 89.8%), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.88 vs 4.89), tackles won (21 vs 19) and percentage of dribblers tackled (60.6% vs 66.7%) for their respective teams.

Hailed as “versatile” by commentator Leonardo Bertozzi, Cambiaso can play across the entire back four, which is a big bonus for Guardiola.

Comparing Andrea Cambiaso and Joshua Kimmich this season (24/25 league stats)
Metric (per 90)	Cambiaso	Kimmich
Accurate passes	45 (91%)	103.4 (93%)
Tackles	1.6	1.7
Ground duels won	3.3	2.8
Possession lost	8.6	13.2
Interceptions	0.5	0.6
Balls recovered	3.6	6.5

He has missed only three matches for Juventus this season, primarily playing on the left side of the defence, but he has been deployed on the right flank at times too, even playing once as a right-winger.

At 24, Cambiaso has yet to reach his peak years and if City can secure a deal to sign him before the window closes, it will be another excellent signing made by the club this month, no doubt about that.