Manchester City would have to make a bid in upwards of £61.8m in order to convince Inter Milan to part ways with Milan Skriniar during the summer, Calciomercato reports.
The Slovakia international joined the Nerazzurri from Sampdoria in the summer of 2017 and he has since made 118 appearances for the club while cementing his spot in the central defence.
Over this period, the Nerazzurri have managed to re-emerge as Champions League regulars and they are also regarded as one of the challengers for the Serie A title.
According to Calciomercato, the Cityzens will make an attempt to sign the 25-year-old during the summer but they would need to offer between £61.8m (€70m) and £70.6m (€80m) to test the Nerazzurri’s resolve.
The same publication states that the Cityzens are likely to be put off by the valuation and they may propose a part-exchange deal in order to reduce the overall asking price for Skriniar.
The Premier League holders witnessed the departure of talismanic club-captain Vincent Kompany at the expiry of his contract last summer but they decided against signing a replacement.
That ended up proving costly, after the long-term knee injury for Aymeric Laporte and Guardiola has used Fernandinho in a makeshift central defensive role alongside Nicolas Otamendi or John Stones for most of the season.
The club have conceded 31 goals in the current Premier League season and that is already eight more than the entirety of the previous top-flight campaign.
Laporte should command a regular starting spot when he has finally overcome his injury concerns and Skriniar could prove the perfect partner, given he has strong ball-playing capabilities.
It remains to be seen whether they can convince the defender to join them without the assurance of Champions League football, suppose their European club competition ban is withheld.
A new central defensive signing could lead to questions over John Stones’ future. The England international has struggled for playing time under Guardiola this term and has been restricted to just two starts in the Premier League since the turn of the year.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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