Manchester City have been heavily linked with a £40m transfer for Italy international Nicolo Rovella in the last 24 hours - but that particular link looks to be over barely after emerging.

City are looking for a defensive midfielder this month after Rodri's costly injury, with Atlanta's Ederson another option of interest. On Wednesday and Thursday, reports in Italy emerged that City were interested in 23-year-old Rovella.

To complicate matters, the midfielder is on loan at Lazio from Juventus with the obligation to buy him this summer for €17m based on 'certain sporting results'.

READ MORE: £120m January deals can set Man City up for Pep Guardiola's ideal summer rebuild

READ MORE: Managing Man City - £50m transfer, Rodri replacement and Jack Grealish decision

And it seems Lazio are treating Rovella as their own player, as club president Claudio Lolito has quickly moved to shut down the City links.

Speaking on Wednesday, Lolito told Il Messaggero of Rovella: "He is not for sale and we have never received an offer, but it is normal that our players are appreciated and desired by the top clubs in the world."

The development comes as Eintracht Frankfurt also discussed links between City and one of their star players, with striker Omar Marmoush a target for the Blues.

"Our basic intention is to keep the squad together," Eintracht Sporting Director Markus Krösche said. "Something extraordinary would have to happen for us to move away from this position."

City are also tracking Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov, who the French side expect to leave this month and could be available for around £20m.