According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have pulled out of a move for Atletico Madrid defender Renan Lodi, with the deal now ‘off’.

The Lowdown: Alongside Gomez

After losing Oleksandr Zinchenko to Premier League rivals Arsenal, followed by missing out on Marc Cucurella from Brighton, who’s now joined Chelsea, Pep Guardiola is in the market for a new left-back.

The Sky Blues look set to sign Anderlecht’s Sergio Gomez, but it’s expected that the 21-year-old will be loaned straight out, meaning that the club will require someone to come in and compete with Joao Cancelo in that full-back role.

The top-flight champions have been heavily linked with a switch for Atletico star Lodi for the majority of the summer, but following a fresh update, it sounds like they have now hit a significant roadblock.

The Latest: Lodi to City is 'off'

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Romano reported that Man City are currently not pursuing a move for Lodi. He wrote:

“Manchester City are preparing all the documents for Sergio Gómez deal to be signed soon - it’s all done since yesterday for more than €15m.

“Renan Lodi has been Man City target in July but talks are not progressing. Understand the deal is off, as things stand.”

The Verdict: Blow for Guardiola

Lodi would have been a superb senior addition to the first team squad, and it’ll come as a massive blow to Guardiola that negotiations haven’t been able to develop.

The Brazilian, dubbed a ‘hero’ by sports journalist Sam Leveridge, helped himself to four goals and the same number of assists for Atletico across all competitions last season, as per Transfermarkt, alongside whipping 41 crosses into the box.

This just shows how much of a threat he poses down the flank, an attribute that the City boss admires, but unfortunately for Pep, it’s now simply a matter of what could have been.