Manchester City face competition from Premier League club in race to sign 20-year-old Ligue 1 prodigy: Reports

Manchester City are reportedly facing competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in their pursuit of Ligue 1 defender Abdukodir Khusanov. The 20-year-old currently plies his trade at RC Lens and has been linked with a move to the Etihad, as the reigning Premier League champions are poised to strengthen their defensive department.

Manchester City have been ravaged by injuries this season, which has consequently led to their poor run of form. While some of the club’s players have returned to action, they are still yet to get their rhythm. As such, Pep Guardiola is keen to cast his net wide in the ongoing transfer window in search of reinforcements.

Abdukodir Khusanov has emerged as a key defensive target for City lately, with the Premier League side reportedly asked to pay £20 million by RC Lens for the Uzbekistan international. It was further said that the Cityzens are reportedly eager to accelerate the deal amid interest in the player from other clubs.

According to Caught Offside, Tottenham Hotspur have now emerged as a frontrunner in the race to sign Khusanov, as manager Ange Postecoglou is keen to fix the defensive issues that his side battled with in the past few months.

Spurs were without their key defenders Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Ben Davies, and Destiny Udogie over the last few weeks, and their absences have been massively felt by the club.

Abdukodir Khusanov joined RC Lens in the summer of 2023 from the Belarusian side Energetik-BGU and has since gone on to become a crucial player for the Ligue 1 side.

He has made 31 appearances for the first team at Lens, with 16 coming during the current campaign. Other clubs that are said to be interested in the Lens star include Marseille, Newcastle United, and Paris Saint Germain (PSG).

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Pep Guardiola urges Manchester City hierarchy to ‘be wise’ in their January transfer decision

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered a piece of advice to the club’s hierarchy. The Spaniard said he is unsure whether or not City will make more additions to the squad in the current transfer window and also told the club not to sign players for the sake of it.

Guardiola said (via Manchester Evening News);

"I don't know right now. It's not easy, it will not be easy. Maybe we sign, maybe we don't sign anyone. The club has to be wise, don't sign players just to add players. For the situation that we have and for the perspective of players that have had consistent injuries for many, many, many times, of course the club has to do it but I don't know if it will be possible to do it."

Manchester City are currently in the sixth position on the Premier League table with 31 points after 19 games.