Manchester City: Inter and Porto favorites to sign Nicolás Otamendi
With just 12 days before the transfer window shuts, Manchester City need to make a decision on Nicolás Otamendi’s future.
Manchester City’s odd summer transfer window is nearing its inevitable end, but several moves that seemed like nothing more than a forgone conclusion at the start of the window have yet to be made. Eric García, who refused to renew his contract, has yet to move on, while out of favor defender Nicolás Otamendi also has yet to leave the club.
While several clubs around Europe have been linked with Otamendi, recent reports indicate that Porto and Inter Milan are the current favorites to sign the defender, who is reportedly available on a very cheap deal. Otamendi’s time at the club seemed up after an error-ridden 2019-20 season put Fernandinho and García ahead of him in the pecking order.
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Perhaps City have been reluctant to move on from Otamendi and García due to their inability to sign a second central defender this window, but should that situation change, it would make sense to move on from both players. Given the current state of incoming transfer rumors, however, it is far from a sure thing that City can get any deal over the line for a defender, so the possibility of at least one of the pair remaining at the Etihad must be considered.
Otamendi has also been regularly rumored to be part of a cash plus player exchange in City’s quest to sign Jules Koundé from Sevilla, but given the inconsistencies in reporting surrounding that deal, nothing is for certain.
Nevertheless, this has been one of the most odd transfer windows in recent memory for Manchester City. It seemed nearly certain that players would be moved on as quickly as they were brought in, with pie-in-the-sky rumors of Lionel Messi and Kalidou Koulibaly coming up short.