Pep Guardiola ready to rip up January transfer plan amid Man City struggles

Pep Guardiola is set to rip up his plans for the January window and push through a move for Abdukodir Khusanov this month.

Guardiola is battling against a major injury crisis in defence, with at least one of Manchester City's four established centre-backs missing in the last 14 matches. That has coincided with a dreadful run of form.

The reigning Premier League champions have won just two games in that spell, dropping to sixth in the table. They now sit 14 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who also hold a game in hand.

The January transfer window offers Guardiola the chance to reinforce his creaking squad. And it appears the embattled boss has made brining in defenders a top priority over the coming month.

According to the Manchester Evening News, City are considering accelerating their plans to sign Khusanov. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a successful season with Lens, having joined the French side in 2023.

He is the first Uzbek to play in Ligue 1 and the youngest to feature in the Champions League and Europa League. His performances in France have attracted the attention of City, who have been eyeing him as a future prospect.

Guardiola has never signed a first-team player as young as Khusanov, with Josko Gvardiol the youngest at 21. But with a major injury crisis at play, City could well change their strategy.

Khusanov is understood to be attracting interest from other top clubs and would cost around £20million to bring in. City are said to be 'certainly interested', and could change look to buy him this January.

It would mark somewhat of a U-turn from Guardiola, who just a fortnight ago claimed he was expected a quiet window. When asked whether he planned to sign anyone in January, Guardiola replied: "No. What I want is my players back - the players that we have.

"I want the squad that we had at the beginning of the season that were desperately competing. This is the only regret I have, that I don't have these players - not new ones. In the right moment, we will see.

"The transfer market has shown how expensive players are in the past four or five years. I'm sorry, we're not the best in those terms. If we need players then we go to the transfer market but I don't know who is around.

"We have known it from the beginning but Rodri is a Ballon D'Or player. We are playing without the best player in England last season. That is the problem. It is difficult. The moment he comes back, we will be strong again."