Manchester City Transfer News: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabian Delph Rumours

Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester City.

That’s according to Mike McGrath of The Sun, who stated the player has not made progress in contract talks with the Gunners and that the Etihad Stadium club is ready to capitalise with a £25 million offer.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is said to be "furious" over the pursuit of the midfielder, having made it clear Oxlade-Chamberlain is not for sale. However, according to McGrath, as the north London club seeks to thrash out new contracts for Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, there are no negotiations planned for the England international.

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City boss Pep Guardiola is said to have admired Oxlade-Chamberlain after he thrived against former club Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League several years ago. With Ilkay Gundogan set to miss the rest of the season with injury, the Catalan is said to be ready to "test Arsenal’s resolve."

As we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com, the former Southampton man is enjoying one of his best campaigns in recent seasons:

The issue with Oxlade-Chamberlain has never been his ability. The England man has pace, power, technical flair and can score goals; what’s let him down is his consistency, both in terms of form and fitness.

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Those issues have meant Wenger has frequently rotated Oxlade-Chamberlain, as Arsenal have a clutch of attacking stars in their squad. That, in turn, has prevented the midfielder from building momentum and from crafting a defined role in the Gunners setup.

But if he were to move to City, you sense he’d endure similar woes. While Gundogan is injured, Guardiola has so many midfielders to choose from, including Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, not to mention a clutch of options in the wide areas.

If Oxlade-Chamberlain is to move clubs, he must do so on the promise of regular football.

Fabian Delph Set for Guardiola Talks

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Guardiola is set to give Fabian Delph a chance to prove himself before deciding whether he has a future at the Etihad Stadium.

The midfielder has been out of action since August because of a groin operation, although he did feature early in the campaign. Delph, according to Guardiola, will be given more clarity about his status at the end of 2016-17.

"It is the same with Vincent Kompany as for Fabian because when he arrived here, he never had any injuries, and every time now it is muscular problems," the City manager said, per Steve Bates of the Sunday People (h/t the Mirror). “It is for him to be fit, to see his level, then at the end of the season we are going to decide what is the best for the club, for him, for everybody.”

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According to Bates, Delph is close to making a return to action, having almost recovered from surgery.

The former Aston Villa man hasn’t enjoyed the best spell since moving to City in 2015. Under previous manager Manuel Pellegrini, he was typically drafted in when the team needed some industry in midfield and occasionally played in an unfamiliar wide berth. However, injury issues have prevented him from building impetus.

As previously mentioned, City have a lot of quality in midfield, and consequently, it’ll be difficult for Delph to make an impression. With Gundogan on the sidelines for the long term, the 27-year-old needs to get up to full fitness again and show he still has a lot to offer.