Defender Andrea Cambiaso and midfielder Douglas Luiz are on the radar of City head coach Pep Guardiola, who is desperate to improve on their underwhelming first half of the season.
Cambiaso is viewed as a long-term replacement for City’s veteran defender Kyle Walker, while former Aston Villa ace Luiz would fit the gap caused by the season-long injury to Rodri.
Guardiola has experienced a troubled campaign, with a plethora of players underperforming that includes 34-year-old Walker.
England international Walker, who came close to joining Bayern Munich in 2023, has won 17 trophies since joining City in 2017. He now appears to be on the verge of a potential move to Juventus rivals AC Milan during the January transfer window.
Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli, during an interview with the website Dazn, claimed that the Italian giants had not received an offer for Cambiaso.
The 24-year-old is versatile enough to play at full-back, wing-back, or tucked into an inverted role. The Genoa-born defender is valued at €80million (US$82m) by the Bianconeri.
Giuntoli said about Cambiaso: “There are no negotiations right now. In all honesty we want to bring players in to cover certain areas hit by long-term injuries, and aren’t thinking about sales. No offer has arrived. If it does, then we will evaluate it.”
City have already strengthened their defence this month with the signings of centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov from French club Lens and central defender Vitor Reis from Brazilian outfit Palmeiras.
If a deal cannot be agreed for Cambiaso, then their push for a third defensive reinforcement could be delayed until the end of the season with the Juventus full-back their main target.
City, who have stuttered since September’s serious knee injury to defensive midfielder Rodri, are looking at bringing back a player who was on their books.
Central defender Luiz was with City between 2017-19, but never played for them as the UK Home Office refused him a work permit. The Brazilian was loaned out to Spanish side Girona before he joined Aston Villa.
The 26-year-old was unveiled by the Bianconeri last June, signing a five-year deal. However, Luiz has made little impact under head coach Thiago Motto, making just 16 appearances, and could be loaned to City until the end of the season.
Motto's remit is to return the glory days for Juventus, so both Cambiaso and Luiz may reject a move to the more physical English Premier League with silverware possible on the horizon.