Manchester City: Why Kolarov Is Suited to Galatasaray Rather Than Serie A

The Express has suggested Galatasaray have joined Internazionale and Juventus in the race to sign Manchester City left-back Aleksandar Kolarov.

The report states the Turkish giants have made a £1.25 million offer to take the defender on loan, with the option to buy outright for £5 million should he suitably impress.

TalkSPORT credited Walter Mazzarri's Internazionale with an initial interest, while Louise Taylor of The Guardian confirmed Kolarov was considering following Carlos Tevez to Juventus.

Despite seemingly broad interest from some of the world's top clubs, Kolarov would do well to consider his options extremely carefully.

Thriving as a true left-wing-back, he frequently puts in electric performances when released down the line. He requires a crossing target and struggles to participate in slow, possession football—instead preferring to quicken the pace of the game and hammer low balls into the box.

He's Edin Dzeko's dream teammate but far from useful if your name is Sergio Aguero.

This specific skill set has led to him exploding in Roberto Mancini's 3-5-2 formation, yet flailing in the basic 4-2-3-1. Gael Clichy is the much preferred option on the left now, and Kolarov must learn from his experiences and choose the correct destination, regardless of stature.

Gala are currently running with converted left-winger Albert Riera at left-back and Emmanuel Eboue on the right. Fatih Terim's side have juggled formations in order to accommodate both Burak Yilmaz and Didier Drogba, eventually settling on a 4-4-2 diamond.

It's a system that requires the full-backs to push onward—it's the only source of width available—and this would suit Kolarov down to the ground.

He'd be the No. 1 left-back at the club, playing a role that gives him the license to do what he does best. Drogba and Yilmaz are ideal targets for his crosses, and a holding midfielder can drop into the defensive line to cover.

It's a perfect fit for the Serbian, and that's simply not something you can say about a potential move to Internazionale or Juventus.

In Milan he'd have to battle Alvaro Pereira and Yuto Nagatomo for a spot in the team, and while Mazzarri's (expected) 3-5-2/3-4-3 formation would suit him, he's moving on because he wants first-team football. Is he willing to make the full-time step to winger?

In Turin, it's a similar story: the formation is a fit, but he'd be down the pecking order. Kwadwo Asamoah and Federico Peluso shared the left-wing-back role last season, and the latter has now moved to the Juventus Stadium in a permanent basis.

Kolarov has told The Express, "I am happy at City but I want to play regularly."

The only club linked to him where he is guaranteed to play is Galatasaray, and according to his own reasoning, that makes them the only credible option for him to move to.