Mialn Skriniar is one of the best central defenders in Europe (Getty Images)
According to The Express, Manchester City are keen on signing Inter Milan star Milan Skriniar in the summer to solve their defensive woes. Skriniar, 25, came through the youth ranks of MSK Zilina in Slovakia and was signed by Serie A side Sampdoria in 2016. After 38 appearances for the club, he moved to Inter Milan in the summer of 2017.
Currently, in his third season with the Serie A giants, Skriniar has made over 100 appearances and has been a regular member in the squad. He has established himself as a quality player and has helped Antonio Conte’s side to the 3rd place in the league.
Meanwhile, Manchester City have endured one of their worst campaigns in the recent past and have failed to defend the Premier League title. Pep Guardiola’s side have suffered defeats against Norwich City, Wolves, Tottenham and Manchester United twice this term.
They haven’t been as dominant as they were in the earlier seasons and the defence has let them to their downfall. Guardiola failed to bring in a replacement for Vincent Kompany, who left the club last summer. He was their main force in the heart of the defence.
The injury to Aymeric Laporte, which kept him out for the majority of the seasons, saw the team without an established centre-back. John Stones has fallen down the pecking order and Nicolas Otamendi has failed to put in powerful displays.
This has led the manager to turn towards Fernandinho, making the Brazilian play out of position. And they have already conceded 31 goals, whereas, they conceded just 29 throughout last season. Hence, it is quite clear that Manchester City have lacked discipline at the back and they need to bring defensive reinforcement in the summer to tighten their backline.
And Milan Skriniar would be a great option for the Cityzens. The 25-year-old has helped Inter keep 8 clean sheets so far and has struck a good partnership with Diego Godin and Stefan de Vrij. He has been of immense help and can be a valuable asset for City if he continues with the same form.
Skriniar has performed regularly for the past three years at a high level and his qualities have been getting better with time. City can benefit from his quality if he replicates what he has done for Inter.
City’s defence has been shaky throughout the campaign. It is clear that they are in the middle of a defensive crisis, highlighted in the most recent game against Manchester United.
Hence, the Etihad outfit should make no mistake in their pursuit for Slovakian international, who is capable of providing them with stability at the back.
