Manchester City eye surprise move for Barcelona target as Pep Guardiola eyes Kalvin Phillips replacement - Reports

Manchester City are reportedly eyeing a move for Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich, who has also been linked with a switch to Barcelona. As reported by Football Transfers, Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola views the Germany international as a possible replacement for Kalvin Phillips, who could be on his way out of the club.

As per the aforementioned report, Kimmich was wanted by Manchester City in the summer as well before they made an offer for Declan Rice, who chose to join Arsenal instead. It has been claimed that Kimmich was happy to stay at Bayern Munich back then but things have changed since.

As per the report, Kimmich has fallen out with Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel and could be on his way out of Aliianz Arena in near future. The 28-year-old has his contract with the Bavarian giants expiring in 2025 which puts Bayern in a difficult situation.

Kimmich has previously worked under Pep Guardiola when he was in charge at Bayern Munich. The Spaniard made a big impact in the German's development as a footballer transforming him into a right-back from a defensive midfielder.

Still aged only 28, Kimmich still has plenty of football left at the highest level and could be a great addition to Manchester City's midfield ranks, especially after Ilkay Gundogan's departure. A phenomenal controller of the game, he already knows Guardiola's game, which means he could make an immediate impact at the Etihad.

Kimmich has been fantastic for Bayern Munich since joining the club from RB Leipzig in 2015. The eight-time Bundesliga winner has made a total of 367 appearances for the club and has scored 41 goals while producing 100 assists.

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Mark Lawrenson makes scoreline prediction for Manchester City vs Crystal Palace

Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has backed Manchester City to beat Crystal Palace convincingly at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (December 16). The former Liverpool defender has predicted a 3-0 scoreline in the Cityzens' favor.

Lawrenson wrote on his Paddypower column:

"Crystal Palace were very, very unlucky against Liverpool to be honest. It just shows you how much strength the big teams have off the bench, especially when you look at the replacements that Crystal Palace had compared to Liverpool last weekend. I'll go for a comfortable Manchester City win. Is Roy Hodgson under pressure? Not from those who run the club."

Manchester City are fourth in the table after 16 games this season having collected 33 points. They have won just one of their last five league games, which was a 2-1 victory against Luton Town last week.

Crystal Palace, on the other hand, are 15th in the table with just 16 points. They lost 2-1 to Liverpool last week despite being ahead until the 75th minute.