With the arrival of John Stones from Everton for €55.6 million, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola want to offload Frenchman Eliaquim Mangala. AC Milan, who are rebuilding their side this summer, along with Valencia are reportedly interested in acquiring the services of Mangala.
According to French Sources L’Equipe, the tall error prone defender is a target for Milan and Valencia (via Football-Italia). City realises the impossibility of selling him outright after a string of disastrous seasons, so they are willing to loan him out with an option/obligation to purchase at the end of the loan term.
Mangala was an expensive €49 million acquisition from FC Porto in 2014. He was a highly rated defender who flourished well with Porto, only to spectacularly fail with Manchester City. He is now an expensive flop who is deemed surplus to requirements along with the likes of Wilfried Bony and Samir Nasri. All three stars are looking for a new destination as they look to reignite their careers.
A place for Mangala in the fashion capital?
Milan’s transfer market until now has been a complete disaster. They have repeatedly missed out on transfer targets, often due to a funds crunch, and at other times due to an inability to convince the player with their project. The big name Milan had in their mind to bolster the defense was Villarreal’s Matteo Mussacchio. Unfortunately, Milan’s takeover was not complete at that point of time, which is why they didn’t have the funds necessary to complete the transaction.
Milan responded to the Mussacchio debacle by adding an unknown South American name, Gustavo Gomez, to their squad, a transfer that was swift and smooth, and was concluded in very brief time. There is reason to believe that Milan might yet add another defender to their squad as their defensive frailties were exposed at the Torfeo TIM cup against Sassuolo, who put three goals past them.
Valencia could also be a viable destination for Mangala as his agent Jorge Mendes is trying desperately to find a solution for the defender. With Mustafi close to going to Arsenal, as the player has an agreement with the Londoners, Valencia and Peter Lim will soon be on the market to find a steady replacement with experience and pedigree to fight at the top level.
