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Good Evans – Manchester City Linked With Defender

In one of the more surprising bits of transfer news that you will hear not just today but arguably across the whole transfer window, this season’s bookmakers favourites to win the Premier League Manchester City have been linked with a move for West Brom defender Jonny Evans.

The Etihad outfit have reshaped an ageing backline over the course of the summer with Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna all being released at the end of last season. In turn Pep Guardiola has splashed out over £100m on the capture of both Kyle Walker and Bernard Mendy.

But he has yet to add any reinforcements in the centre back department during this transfer window and it is one that could set to be depleted should Eliquim Mangala leave the club before the end of the month after being linked with a move to Inter Milan.

Manchester City were set up with a back three last Saturday as they ran out 2-0 winners away at Brighton with the personnel comprising of Nicolas Otamendi, Vincent Kompany and John Stones. That is a decent enough trio of names but there are still concerns of the fitness of the man who sits in the middle of those names.

Whether Vincent Kompany can stay injury free for the majority of the season is something we will have to wait and see but when you couple that potential risk factor with the fact that they are arguably light on bodies at centre back then additions to the ranks certainly make sense.

So it will come as a shock to many that former Manchester United man Jonny Evans has been reportedly named as a player which is on Pep Guardiola’s radar. The Northern Ireland international is currently plying his trade at West Brom to good effect but even with his Old Trafford connection this must be a move that will grab his interest.

The 29 year old has bags of Premier League experience and not only that has won 3 titles during his tenure at Manchester United, so there is no doubt that he would be something of an astute signing from a squad player point of view.

But that is what he will have to ask himself should City come knocking with something in the form of a concrete transfer bid, does he want to give up guaranteed first team football at The Hawthorns for more of a bit part role at The Etihad.

The obvious caveat of course being that should he make that move then he will once again be part of a squad that will be challenging for trophies. No disrespect to West Brom but that is not something that is going to be realistically happening anytime soon.

Maybe the defender will be looking for a new challenge at this stage of his career, that of course will be understandable as bar keeping West Brom in the Premier League what else can you do there, also the lure of potentially playing in the Champions League once again will be something that may well be too good to turn down.

If Manchester City were to test the waters with a bid, just how much could Tony Pulis command in terms of a transfer fee. I guess in today’s market you would have to be looking at no less than £20m for a player of Evans’ proven top flight calibre.

The money recouped would all be very well but Pulis himself was complaining that his squad is already looking thin and to lose one of his more experienced members so late in the window would make life very difficult until January 2018 at the very latest.

More often then not when Manchester City come calling they eventually get their way, I doubt West Brom will put up too much of a fight and even if they do money is no object to the Abu Dhabi backed club. It may not be the most sensational move of the summer should it take place but it is one that makes a fair bit of sense.

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