Forget Kompany – 3 Top-class replacements who Man City could target including £75m World Cup star

Three Vincent Kompany replacements Manchester City must target in January

Manchester City may wait until the end of the season to discuss a new contract with captain Vincent Kompany, reports the Sun.

Kompany, 32, is out of contract next summer, with discussions on the backburner as Pep Guardiola aims to retain the title.

However, City are not concerned about the prospect of Belgian leaving the club and are willing to wait until the final stages of his contract before finalising the terms over an extension.

Kompany recently celebrated 10 years at Man City and was presented with a framed shirt to honour his achievement before Saturday’s win over Newcastle United. The Belgian has a wretched injury record and is set to enter the twilight of his career.

Even if City offer Kompany a new deal at the end of the season, Guardiola needs to plan for the future given the fact that his skipper is ageing. Keeping that in mind, here are three replacements City can target in January.

Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax)

Guardiola’s love for ball-playing centre-backs should make him turn his attention towards Ajax’s prodigy, Matthijs de Ligt. He has all the attributes which are needed to be a successful defender in English football.

Even at 19, De Ligt is tall and imposing, but quick enough too. The young Dutchman is an astute reader of the game with a commanding physical presence and technical ability to match. He has a good range of passing and loves to maraud forward with the ball before finding one of his teammates.

Replacing Kompany represents an uphill task but De Ligt certainly has all the attributes to succeed at the Etihad stadium.

Harry Maguire (Leicester City)

Maguire has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the last couple of years. He had a decent 2017/18 season with Leicester City but earned a lot of plaudits for his displays at the World Cup. He was even targeted by Man United in the summer, but Leicester demanded £75m for their star defender.

Due to his excellent vision, outstanding physique and some great passing ability, Maguire is turning into one of the most coveted central defenders in the Premier League. He is very comfortable on the ball and enjoys venturing forward. He is also a real threat in the opposition box during set-piece scenarios.

Along with his physical power and size, Maguire would be a great choice to replace the ageing Kompany, even though City have to splash a lot of money to land the player.

Milan Skriniar (Inter Milan)

As mentioned earlier, replacing Kompany would be an extremely difficult task but Guardiola is a genius in scouting young talents and nurturing them. One young talent who has earned rave reviews in the last couple of years is Inter Milan’s defensive lynchpin, Milan Skriniar.

Skriniar, 23, played every single minute of Inter’s matches in Serie A last season, dishing out rock solid displays in the heart of the defence. His ability to play out from the back added with his sheer physical strength would see him form a formidable partnership with John Stones.

Read more: Go for it Pep – Man City would be unbeatable if they sign this £45m powerhouse in January

Skriniar, who can also play as a defensive midfielder, won’t come cheap for sure but City must break the bank to bag his signature before other big clubs start circling.