Manchester City are plotting a late swoop to sign Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney this summer following Oleksandr Zinchenko's move to the Emirates Stadium.
Pep Guardiola's side are hoping to add another left-back to their ranks after letting Zinchenko join the Gunners in a deal worth around £32million last month. The Ukrainian won four Premier League titles during his time at the Etihad Stadium and made his Arsenal debut in the opening day 2-0 win over Crystal Palace last Friday.
Zinchenko started the game on the left side of a back four alongside Benjamin White, Gabriel and William Saliba, with Tierney named on the bench after recovering from an injury. The Scotland international came on in the latter stages as Arsenal claimed all three points thanks to Gabriel Martinelli's opener and a Marc Guehi own-goal.
According to The Telegraph, City could turn to Tierney, a proven Premier League left-back, rather than players with little to no experience of playing in England. They have been heavily linked with a move for Anderlecht's Sergio Gomez in recent days, with reports suggesting City have agreed a deal for the Spaniard.
Gomez has impressed during his spell in Belgium and chipped in with five goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season. He has been tipped to become Spain's no.1 left-back within the next couple of seasons and Sky Sports reported that City had agreed an £11m deal with Anderlecht for the player despite links with Tierney.
Marc Cucurella was City's first-choice target in that position before Chelsea nipped in and met Brighton's asking price, with a deal coming to around £55m plus add-ons. City were unwilling to pay that for the former Getafe man, who was Brighton's Player of the Season after a number of consistent performances last term.
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The 24-year-old was supposedly keen on a move to Manchester but Chelsea convinced him to move to West London. This has seen City explore other targets, with Renan Lodi and Raphael Guerreiro amongst those linked.
However, Tierney has entered the list as Guardiola is a keen admirer of the ex-Celtic defender. Despite struggling with injuries, the 25-year-old was still highly influential for the Gunners last season and notched four goal contributions in 22 league games. His absence was felt when he was not available, with Arsenal losing seven of the 16 matches he didn't feature in.
City are desperate for another quality addition at left-back, with Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker their only senior full-backs. Nathan Ake and John Stones have been able to do a job on the flanks when required, but Guardiola wants to add a natural player who can slot straight into the role. Tierney is seen to be an ideal replacement for Zinchenko.
