Manchester City's interest in signing a centre-back has naturally captured interest.

Abdukodir Khusanov has been of interest to the Blues for some time and with their situation and the willingness of the other parties in line there is a chance of securing a deal for around £20m as early as this month. A club that needs to strengthen immediately but also wants the priority to be the long-term would be ticking both boxes.

Khusanov isn't the only defender of interest to City and there are more than one already on their books who will feel they can also be part of the future. Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has made his senior debut this season and Max Alleyne has also made matchday squads.

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Then there is Callum Doyle, who Norwich fans fell in love with weeks into his season-long loan despite him arriving late because Pep Guardiola insisted on taking him to the United States for City's pre-season tour. Norwich were happy to wait for such a talent, and quickly reached the same conclusion that Sunderland, Coventry and Leicester all have with Doyle.

Still just 21 despite over 80 appearances in the Championship and 135 senior games in total, Doyle has already shown that he has the makings of a top footballer. Taylor Harwood-Bellis did similar and brought in £20m last summer when Southampton offered him game time that City could not.

Harwood-Bellis may not have been seen as one of City's four best centre-backs when he left, yet for all that the money allows the Blues to reinvest - potentially on Khusanov - there is little argument that he would have been useful to the club over the past few months. He is instead part of the growing list of players who have given City considerable profit but whose value has gone up since.

There may be room for both Doyle and Khusanov, but in the former's shoes seeing your parent club attempt to sign a 20-year-old from elsewhere will not fill you with confidence. When Doyle returns to City in summer, if Khusanov has signed it will be extra competition and there will be multiple clubs willing to pay the Blues a decent price and remove that competition for the player.

Maybe Khusanov is the best bet or maybe he won't sign, but City have to be careful that having gained a reputation for producing excellent footballers in their academy who are worth tens of millions of pounds they don't overlook the fact that keeping them for their first team will save them more than they could make.