Manchester City eye shock move for defender fighting relegation

Manchester City are ready to spend £25m on Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson this summer, according to The Sun.

Pep Guardiola has managed to improve City’s defensive record in recent games but the Spaniard is still expected to go big in the transfer window to mould a defence that can carry out his philosophy next season.

City have already been linked with a number of high profile defenders currently plying their trade in Europe but Middlesbrough centre-back Gibson is now also on Guardiola’s radar for the summer.

Guardiola could face competition from Chelsea in the summer after the Premier League leaders identified Gibson as the next John Terry at the start of the season.

Middlesbrough are in the bottom three but things could have been a lot worse had it not been for their back four. Only the top seven sides have conceded fewer goals in the Premier League this season than Boro (30), while only five other outfielders have played in every minute of Premier League action this term.

For more stats on Ben Gibson, click here to visit his WhoScored player page