Oleksandr Zinchenko has been linked with a move away from Manchester City this summer, with David Ornstein of The Athletic revealing interest from Arsenal, but Pep Guardiola would be forced into signing two left-backs if he let the 25-year-old leave – one for the suspended Benjamin Mendy and another for Zinchenko.
Gabriel Jesus has already made the switch from the Etihad Stadium to the Emirates, but Ornstein says Zinchenko will only be granted a departure for the right price. The Ukrainian international struggled for playing time in 2021/22 and found himself behind Joao Cancelo in the pecking order, but he was still called upon for important fixtures.
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Zinchenko played in only 28 games from a possible 65 last season, but the 25-year-old featured in both Champions League semi-final games against Real Madrid and played in City’s last seven Premier League outings. City won seven and draw one of those nine games, so he was a good omen.
When Joao Cancelo replaced Kyle Walker at right-back, Guardiola trusted Zinchenko to do a job at left-back rather than have Aymeric Laporte or Nathan Ake in a makeshift role, so why would Guardiola sell him? City are expected to sign Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion and he’s likely to be their first-choice left-back in 2022/23, but who will be backup if not Zinchenko?
In other news, Noel Whelan hails Phil Foden signing new Man City deal