Pep Guardiola pushing Manchester City to sign £51m Liverpool target in January

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The January transfer is two months away from opening, and early signs suggest that it’s going to be a big one for Premier League clubs.

Liverpool are interested in LOSC Lille wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi with Wataru Endo also reportedly keen on leaving Anfield in January, with plenty of movement expected in the red half of Merseyside in the winter window.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold still a target for Real Madrid, there’s a real chance that Liverpool could see a key player leave Arne Slot’s side when the January market opens for business, with Saudi Arabian clubs interested in Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

And Pep Guardiola is now seemingly pushing Manchester City to sign one Liverpool-linked player in January.

Manchester City could make January move for Martin Zubimendi

According to CaughtOffside, Guardiola is focusing City’s attention on signing Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, with the Spanish international viewed as the top replacement for the injured Rodri.

Zubimendi was strongly linked with a move to Liverpool in the summer as the La Liga maestro played a key role for Spain in winning Euro 2024 against England, with the £51m-rated midfielder opting to stay with Sociedad for the season.

With Liverpool still in the market for a midfielder, City signing Zubimendi would come across as a major blow for the Reds given how hotly-tipped the Basque star was just a few months ago to move to the Premier League with Arne Slot’s side.

Yet with City’s injury crisis now leading to four defeats in a row for Guardiola, it’s easy to see why the Catalan coach has now urged the Manchester giants to move for Zubimendi, who could be the replacement for Rodri that might save the Cityzen’s season.

Liverpool losing out on Zubimendi for good could spell trouble

With Ryan Gravenberch transforming into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this season, the odds of Liverpool moving for Zubimendi in the January transfer window were already quite slim.

Yet with City now making Zubimendi their favourite to replace Rodri in the New Year, such a transfer could spell trouble for Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League, with the Spanish international exactly the sort of player the reigning English champions are missing.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	11	9	1	1	21	6	15	28
2	Man CityManchester City	11	7	2	2	22	13	9	23
3	ChelseaChelsea	11	5	4	2	21	13	8	19
4	ArsenalArsenal	11	5	4	2	18	12	6	19

Indeed, City signing a world-class midfielder to replace the new Ballon d’Or holder could see Guardiola take the Manchester giants back to the top of the Premier League, and Liverpool’s chances of another title win could fall with it.