Injuries could force Pep Guardiola to open his chequebook in the January transfer window despite his happiness with City’s squad depth.

The Citizens have been without Kevin De Bruyne for the majority of the season with Benjamin Mendy also set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Adding to Guardiola’s woes, David Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho have all missed games due to injury this season. However, Guardiola seems adamant that City won’t be spending during the upcoming transfer window.

With Liverpool matching City stride for stride this season, bolstering the squad could be a wise move. Fernandinho is currently the only holding midfielder in the squad, and another injury to the Brazilian could prove costly in the long-term. Therefore, Guardiola should reignite his search for a long-term midfield replacement for the ex-Shakhtar Donetsk man.

The ideal successor could be Napoli dynamo – Allan. Valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, the Brazilian has been a critical player for the Italian side since joining from Udinese in 2015. Allan excelled in the engine room alongside Jorginho under Maurizio Sarri last season as Napoli pushed Juventus all the way in the race for the title. With Jorginho opting to join Chelsea instead of City, the Citizens should seek their revenge by luring his former team-mate to Eastlands.

Allan is a phenomenal defensive midfielder who add another layer of protection to the City backline, averaging an incredible 3.9 tackles in the Serie A so far this season. His defensive abilities were on show for the world to see in the Champions League despite Napoli crashing out at the group stage – the midfielder averaged an extraordinary 6.3 tackles per game during their six fixtures. Not only does Allan excel defensively, but the 27-year-old also loves to contribute to the attack, completing 1.3 key passes per game on average in the Serie A (WhoScored).

Approaching the prime of his career, the Brazil international could develop into a Premier League great under Guardiola’s tutelage.

Manchester City fans, thoughts?