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Umtiti, Zagadou and Ake alternatives for Man City to reinforce defence

  /  autty

Manchester City are lacking numbers in central defence and that is no secret.

City allowed Vincent Kompany to leave last summer without recruiting a replacement and were made to rue that decision early on in the season as Aymeric Laporte suffered a serious knee injury.

The Blues looked at Bournemouth's Nathan Ake but, by the time January came around, Laporte was back and City opted against strengthening their defence.

However, it remains a priority for City to strengthen in that position in the summer so we've taken a look at some other left-footed centre-backs that could fit the bill...

Samuel Umtiti

Umtiti has made just 11 appearances for Barcelona in La Liga this season, with Clement Lenglet being preferred as Gerard Pique's defensive partnership.

The France defender has made only 16 appearances in all competitions and appears to be out of favour with manager Quique Setien.

Being at Barcelona, Umtiti knows how to play the sort of football that former Barcelona manager and player Guardiola wishes to demonstrate at the Etihad Stadium.

The 26-year-old is a quick and confident centre-back, who is good with his feet and also versatile having played parts of his career at left-back.

His current deal at the Camp Nou expires in the summer of 2023, so City may have to pay a substantial amount to land the experienced defender.

Dan-Axel Zagadou

Zagadou has made 20 appearances for Borussia Dortmund so far this season and has become an integral part of Lucien Favre's plans.

Another French centre-back, Zagadou has showed this season the capability to play out from the back, as well as being solid defensively.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Zagadou.

Alessandro Bastoni

Bastoni has appeared 14 times in Serie A this season for Inter Milan and an extra three games in all competitions.

The 20-year-old is not as quick as the two centre-backs already analysed, but is strong when it comes to his feet.

The Italian defender has an 89.5% passing accuracy in Serie A this campaign, and is an aerial presence at 6ft 3.

Evan N'Dicka

The Eintracht Frankfurt, like Zagadou, was recently linked with a move to Arsenal as they look to bolster their defence.

N'Dicka has been a key figure for Frankfurt in the Bundesliga this season and has certainly caught the eye.

N'Dicka is quicker than Bastoni but not as fast as the likes of Zagadou and Umtiti, and has a slightly lower pass percentage than Bastoni with just 83.0%.

Malang Sarr

Another French central defender is Sarr, who has played 20 times in all competitions this season for Nice.

Sarr is quick, and a slightly shorter centre-back at just 6ft, which could leave him vulnerable in the air at times.

However, the 21-year-old is very highly rated in France.

Sarr has the highest successful defensive actions this season than any of the aforementioned defenders.