Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that defender Matija Nastasic could leave the club this Summer, with Premier League rivals, Arsenal, interested in signing the Serbian.
The young centre-back, who is rated as one of the top youngsters in football, has struggled to cement a first-team place at the Etihad Stadium, and now faces more competition since the arrival of Eliaquim Mangala, who cost the club £32million.
City now have five centre-backs at their disposal, and Pellegrini has admitted that Nastasic could be one that leaves the club as he is keen to play regular first-team football.
A move to the Emirates Stadium could be on the cards for the Serbian, as Arsene Wenger is in the market for a Thomas Vermaelen replacement, after the Belgium joined FC Barcelona earlier on in the window.
Arsenal have also shown interest in Kostas Manolas, but Nastasic could also be an option for Wenger after Pellegrini confirmed the deal could be possible.
‘Matija needs to play. We already have important players here, with Demichelis, Kompany, Mangala and Boyata,’ said the Chilean boss.
‘So we will see in the next few days what happens with Nastasic. He is an important player but he has offers and I think the best thing for him is to play.
‘We have until the end of August to see what kind of offers we get.’
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
