Guardiola dismisses Badstuber to City talk

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has denied that an approach has been made for Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber.

The 27-year-old centre-back has struggled for playing time under Carlo Ancelotti since recovering full fitness and reports in Germany have suggested that he could be sent on loan to a club in the Premier League.

Guardiola says City have not made any enquiry but admitted that signing some defensive cover this month could be crucial as his side look to sustain a challenge in the league, Champions League and FA Cup.

“No, in that sense, no,” he said when asked about a move for Badstuber. “We have to speak with the club about what is the situation, because hopefully Vincent [Kompany] can help us, but Vincent in the last two years was like this [with injuries].

“We have Nico [Otamendi], John [Stones] and [Aleksandar] Kolarov, and Kola is a full-back, and of course we have Tosin [Adarabioyo], and Tosin is still young.

“When we arrive now in the Premier League, in the cup, in the Champions League, if something happens with the injuries then we don’t have enough.

“We are evaluating if there’s a chance to take one. I know Holger, he’s a fantastic player, a fantastic guy, but he’s a Bayern Munich player, and we should first of all speak with them and with him.

“Now on the table there are no names because we had a lot of games, but now we have 10 days off, 10 days until Everton, so we have time to discuss with Txiki [Begiristain, City director of football], with the club, what is the best for the rest of the season.”