Anytime a mystery club is said to be looking for a defender, Manchester City will inevitably be linked.
The defender in question this time is Iñigo Martínez, a 26-year-old center-back from La Liga club Real Sociedad. The Spanish defender has spent his entire career at Sociedad and has a release clause of 30 million euros, and his signing would cover the loss of Aleksandar Kolarov to AS Roma. City can surely spend that type of money, but will they want to on a player essentially destined to be the fourth option at center-back?
From a tactical perspective, however, City supporters know you can never have too many center-back options, especially if Pep Guardiola decides to use a back three like he did in preseason.
No supporter would be surprised if City made several more moves before the transfer window closes, but are they necessary? After spending £120 million on new full-backs, that position seems unlikely to receive additions. The midfield is currently overflowing with talents like Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.
One could argue City may need to add depth at center-back and at the forward positions. And if City indeed want to sign Iñigo Martínez, then Alexis Sánchez and Kylian Mbappé remain as they main options for a new striker/winger. Let’s see what happens next.