According to a report from newspaper Correio da Manhã via Sport Witness, Man City have entered the race to sign Porto left-back Alex Telles – with the Sky Blues looking set to battle Paris-Saint Germain for his signature.
The 27-year-old, scoring an impressive eight goals and bagging five assists from the full-back area, could be the answer to City’s dilemma in that position as the Portuguese paper claim we may still have a shot at securing his signature.
Pep Guardiola, over the last three seasons, has been forced to improvise when it comes to the left-back position – deploying ex-midfielder Fabian Delph there over the 2017/2018 Centurions campaign.
Should City sign Alex Telles?
Yes
No
Oleksandr Zinchenko has also been used as a makeshift left-back to compensate for Benjamin Mendy’s injury-ridden stay at the Etihad, but now it’s reported City may be looking to solve that problem once and for all.
Playing under ex-Sky Blue boss Roberto Mancini at Inter Milan, Telles has played at the highest level throughout his noteworthy career – with City and PSG now looking to snap up the defender who is currently valued at €40 million.
According to WhoScored, Telles delivers an impressive 2.3 crosses per 90 minutes – almost as much as star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
Mendy, when fit, lags behind in that department – averaging just 1.1 deliveries by comparison.
This could potentially hint that Telles would be a good overlapping substitute for the Frenchman, especially considering his nine assists in all competitions from out wide.
Whether or not we swoop for the 27-year-old remains to be seen, but judging by his credentials, it could be a coup worth considering.