Manchester City Identify Abner Vinícius As Transfer Option With Left-Back Pursuit Intensifying

The Premier League champions have been making use of a wide range of versatile options in the left-back position for a number of years, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo being the most recent examples of this being put into practice.

Other seasons have seen the likes of Aymeric Laporte and Fabian Delph utilised in this area, as the club ultimately failed to sign a consistent and reliable player within the area of the pitch.

However, the summer transfer window of 2022 appears to be the market in which Manchester City are expected to strengthen in the position with a longer-term option, and a new report on Wednesday has named one possible solution.

According to the information of Mike McGrath of the Telegraph, Manchester City are 'looking at' Athletico Paranaense and Brazil U23 full-back, Abner Vinícius.

This, according to the information of the newspaper, is part of the Premier League champions' 'stepping up' their search for a long-term left-back.

Providing details on the profile of the 21 year-old defender, McGrath highlights that Abner Vinícius won Olympic gold in Tokyo over the summer, and has been reportedly watched by Manchester City’s scouts in South America while playing for his club Athletico Paranaense.

Despite being relatively young, Abner Vinícius has a strong sense of the senior game, having already made an impressive 90 appearances for Athletico Paranaense's senior set-up, scoring three goals and registering a further 10 assists. 

As well as success at the 2020 summer Olympics with Brazil, Abner also won the Campeonato Paranaense in 2020, and Copa Sudamericana in the year that followed - strengthening the idea that the 21 year-old has already garnered a wealth of winning experience within the senior game.

Other options for Manchester City are seemingly at a minimum, with AC Milan's Theo Hernandez expected to commit his future and services to the Serie A giants beyond the upcoming summer transfer window.