Manchester City Transfer News: Virgil van Dijk, William Carvalho Rumours Emerge

Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk and Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho have emerged as top transfer targets for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola looks to bolster his squad in the January transfer window, according to Dominic King for the Daily Mail.

Van Dijk has enjoyed a phenomenal start to the campaign, and his leadership skills have seen him targeted as the ideal long-term replacement for Vincent Kompany.

The Dutchman, who was signed from Celtic for £11.5 million on transfer deadline day in 2015, is reportedly a "prime target" for City in January, with Southampton preparing themselves for the eventuality that Van Dijk will not be their player by the end of the window.

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Carvalho is unlikely to join the club in January, however, given that Sporting are reportedly in no mood to let one of their best players leave in midseason. King reported City would have to match his £42 million buyout clause in order to force through a transfer before the summer.

Van Dijk is said to be the priority, though. Kompany's latest injury setback suggests he cannot be relied upon long term, leaving Guardiola to search for his replacement sooner rather than later.

John Stones, who signed for £47.5 million from Everton in the summer, has settled well at the Etihad Stadium but needs a more robust partner than Nicolas Otamendi to help nurture his talent.

Van Dijk's 2016-17 statistics suggest that he could be the ideal signing:

Southampton's star defender is somewhat more physically imposing than Stones and would complement the more graceful playing style of the former Everton centre-back. Significantly, City sent a representative to watch Van Dijk play in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool on November 19, per King.

Saints manager Claude Puel dismissed the transfer talk on Thursday and told reporters, "it's just speculation," per BT Sport. "It's just rumour and it's not important for me," he added.

Yaya Toure's re-emergence has lessened the need for a new midfielder, although City remain "firm admirers" of Carvalho, according to King. He and Van Dijk would cost the club in excess of £100 million, which would suggest that they are willing to back Guardiola in the transfer market next month as part of their bid to reclaim the Premier League crown.

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Part of this money could be recouped from the sale of Joe Hart, who has revealed this week that he expects to leave City permanently once his Torino loan deal expires, per Johnny Phillips for Sky Sports.

"The way I look at it, I want to do as well as I can for Torino, and if somebody comes in for me, I don't think Manchester City are going to stand in my way," he told Soccer Saturday.

It would appear as though Guardiola is not entirely satisfied with what he has seen at City so far, and bids for either Van Dijk or Carvalho would send a strong signal to the rest of his squad—and his Premier League rivals. Manchester City are prepared to spend big in their bid to win the title race.