Man City must sign £20m 'monster' to breathe fresh life into Pep Guardiola and their season

“He’s a monster. For his age, what he does..."

That was the verdict of former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba on his Lens team-mate Abdukodir Khusanov and a 'monster' arriving in the January transfer window could be just what Man City need to revive their faltering season.

Manchester Evening News reported on Friday that City are considering accelerating their move for the 20-year-old central defender this month, after an impressive start to life in France with Lens.

The Uzbek international has been on City's radar since he made the move to France in the summer of 2023 after impressing in Belarus and their dire injury situation could see them make their move this month.

Ruben Dias and John Stones are currently out through injury and Pep Guardiola has spoken about City's need to increase numbers in the centre of defence.

Khusanov is seen as a star of the future but he would help City in the here and now as they look to recover from a run of one win in 13 matches leaving them four points adrift of the top four and clinging on to a qualification place in the Champions League.

He already has experience in Europe's premier competition and his rise at Lens suggests he would take the step up at City and the Premier League in his stride.

When defender Kevin Danso looked set to join Roma in the summer, new Lens manager Will Still was assured Khusanov was ready to step into his place.

“He’s calm, powerful, he’s fast… He doesn’t talk but he’s good," Still said earlier this season.

"When I arrived, with the departure of ‘Kev’ [Danso] in sight, Jean-Louis Leca [Lens’ sports coordinator] told me: ‘Don’t worry, there’s ‘Kodir’ who is here, and he’s ready.’ He wasn’t wrong. He has very, very impressive potential.”

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