Manchester City Transfer News: Latest on Holger Badstuber Amid Swansea Rumours
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola may face competition with Swansea City for the loan signing of Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber in the January transfer window.
Guardiola's side have struggled defensively at times this season, and the Spaniard is reported to be considering reinforcements. But he revealed he had not spoken to Bayern about the player.
Per Allan Valente of Sky Sports, the City boss said: "If we need something, maybe it's at the back, central defenders or full-back. We are evaluating if there's a chance to take one (defender). I know Holger, he's a fantastic player, a fantastic guy, but he's a Bayern Munich player, and we should first of all speak with them and with him."
However, Guardiola could find himself battling with Swansea for the signature of Badstuber, according to Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail.
Per the report, recently appointed Swansea manager Paul Clement saw the defender's quality up close as assistant boss to Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern and is keen to take Badstuber to Wales to help his side's battle against relegation.
On Guardiola's part, he will have been encouraged by his team's improved defensive record—they have conceded just three goals in six matches since losing to Leicester City 4-2 on Dec. 10.
However, he still appears to be keen to strengthen at the back, and Badstuber could provide a decent capture, with the pair having worked together when Guardiola was in charge of Bayern.
Injuries have badly curtailed Badstuber's career in recent years, and a City loan move could allow both parties to benefit over the remainder of the current campaign.
To some degree, because of his injury record, Badstuber remains a player with untapped potential, and at 27 years old, he should have plenty of football left at the top level.
He is a player who has picked up 31 caps for Germany, and when fit, he has great passing ability and is a versatile option who can move to full-back with ease.
During his three-year spell at Bayern, Guardiola was unable to call on Badstuber as much as he would have wanted despite the boss labelling him one of the best central defenders in the world, per PA Sport (h/t ESPN FC).
As that report also noted, there was a slight breakdown in the relationship between manager and player before Ancelotti arrived at the Bundesliga club.
But Guardiola is likely to recognise Badstuber's ability and clearly believes he could become an asset to fourth-placed City in the short term at least as he bids to close the gap on the Premier League front-runners.
He will no doubt want to be sure of Badstuber's current fitness levels and whether his body can stand up to the rigours of action in England's top division. Guardiola will also be particularly keen to avoid a similar situation to that of Vincent Kompany, who also has struggled badly with injuries at City.
A loan move for the centre-back, possibly with a clause that would allow City to sign him permanently at the end of the campaign, could turn out to be a shrewd deal for the club.
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