Guardiola rules out 2 January transfers after Man City compile 7-man shortlist

Manchester City will not sign Martin Zubimendi or Bruno Guimaraes in January.

The champions have had a terrible few months and one of their main problems has been the lack of someone to replace Rodri, who will be out injured for most of the season. As a result, they have been tipped to pursue a player in the middle of the pitch as their season needs a spark.

Guimaraes has excelled during his time at Newcastle and has shown that he can fill the role for almost any team in the world. Although the Magpies are close to the PSR mark, they have no intention of selling their Brazilians, while Zubimendi could also be out of reach.

The Spanish midfielder came on and produced an impressive cameo in the 2024 Euro 2024, which caught the attention of Liverpool, but he remained at Real Sociedad. Now, as first reported by The Daily Mail, it is clear that neither he nor Guimaraes will move to the blue half of Manchester this month.

Guardiola has made a plea, saying of the club's situation: “In some positions we need help. When we are all together we are the team we were, but with key players absent for weeks and months it is so hard.”

Those at the Etihad have also ruled out a move for Atletico Madrid's Pablo Barrios, despite making a bid for him previously debated. He is a regular for La Liga, which is currently top of the table in Spain.

It was reported that the Manchester outfit had put together a shortlist of players who could help their cause, especially as a place in the top four was not guaranteed after their recent nightmare. Joshua Kimmich, who is seeing his contract at Bayern Munich expire, was among those they considered.

Atalanta's Ederson and Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton are said to be under consideration, with City looking to add more depth. Eintracht Frankfurt's breakout superstar Omar Marmoush, who is also on Arsenal's radar, is another player they have been keeping an eye on.

Lille striker Jonathan David is another possible signing – he has scored 19 goals in 28 appearances for club and country this season – although City's priority is unlikely to be adding a new striker.