Manchester City eyeing stunning defender return: report

Manchester City could be bringing their former player back to the Etihad.

Manchester City are apparently planning to bring back a long-forgotten player as part of Pep Guardiola’s defensive overhaul.

The current English champions have become professionals at sustaining their excellent performance levels year after year by frequently changing the roster, keeping things fresh at a time when the calendar demands more from the players than ever before.

Over the last few years, high-profile exits have been matched by clever replacements, with Savinho’s arrival to counter Riyad Mahrez’s sale being the most recent example.

Kyle Walker is moving closer to leaving Manchester City. (Image Credit: Getty Images))
Guardiola will confront yet another tough squad dilemma in the coming months, with Kyle Walker’s departure seeming increasingly inevitable next summer.

The 34-year-old, who came close to leaving the Etihad in recent years, has seen his game time decrease as Rico Lewis asserts himself at right-back, while his own performances suffer from the inescapable affects of aging.

Pedro Porro has excelled since joining Tottenham (Image credits: George Wood/Getty Images))
As revealed by Tottenham News earlier this year, City is interested in Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro, who left the Etihad in 2022 without playing a single minute for the club.

The Spanish international appears likely to become part of the former treble winners’ defensive overhaul, having previously expressed interest in Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco, while Football Insider believes that any deal for Porro would cost more than £80 million.

Porro has been a revelation in North London since joining from Sporting CP in January 2023, creating an excellent partnership with Brennan Johnson on the right side in the season’s early stages.

Barcelona and Real Madrid had previously expressed interest in the Spaniard following his strong performances under Ange Postecoglou.

Porro joined City from Girona in 2019, spending several seasons on loan before signing a permanent move with Sporting in 2022, without playing a single minute for the Cityzens.

His performances in Portugal and England have cemented his status as one of the world’s top right backs, with considerable strength in both the attacking and defensive thirds of the play.

James Ridge
James Ridge is a freelance journalist living in the UK. He most recently worked as an online news editor for The United Stand, where he covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier to the Premier League.