Manchester City sources rule out January transfer investment in key position

It now appears to be unlikely that Manchester City will invest in a new right-sided full-back during the January transfer window.

City are expected to complete the signing of Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo by the end of the week as they kickstart 2026 with a statement coup after beating the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool to the forward’s signature.

Pep Guardiola’s side are in the running to claim a fifth Premier League title in six seasons as they challenge a formidable Arsenal side who extended their lead at the top of the tree to five points on Tuesday after putting third-placed Aston Villa to the sword in an emphatic 4-1 win.

The ball is now in Manchester City’s court to respond to Arsenal’s statement triumph over a high-flying Villa side, with the Blues facing a tricky test away at Sunderland on New Year’s Day as they search for a ninth consecutive win in all competitions.

City remain in an embryonic stage of their transition under director of football Hugo Viana, who revamped Guardiola’s ranks in the summer by making seven new signings and signed off on the exits of a series of senior stars beyond their respective prime(s).

The Blues are not expected to be nearly as active in January as they were in the summer or in the previous mid-season transfer window, when a dire personnel crisis across the pitch forced the club’s hand into signing Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez for a combined £180 million.

Regardless, Viana and co will closely monitor the January market for possible openings as executives at the Etihad Stadium look to arm Guardiola with greater ammunition to fuel the club’s aspirations of finishing the season with silverware.

Manchester City have looked the part in recent months and are reaping the rewards of a timely resurgence that has propelled them to the Carabao Cup semi-final as well as put them in a strong position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

The club bid farewell to former skipper Kyle Walker in the summer, when the 35-year-old full-back returned to England after an indifferent, brief loan stint at AC Milan, joining Burnley on a permanent deal for a deal reaching £5 million.

City searched the summer transfer market for a like-for-like replacement for Walker but were unable to identify a potent, long-term solution to their long-standing problems at right-back – though Guardiola was happy to begin the 2025-26 season with the likes of Matheus Nunes, John Stones, Rico Lewis and Khusanov.

According to the information of Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan, while there have been ‘murmurings’ that Manchester City could look at the right-back market in January, such claims have been quashed by club sources – with Nunes exceeding expectations in the position in recent months and putting in a string of outstanding displays away from midfield.

As for central midfield, it is insisted the role will be ‘the big area of focus’ during the summer, while City want to be in the conversation about a free transfer in the main window for Marc Guehi – should the defender remain a Crystal Palace player by the end of the winter window.