It won't be easy, but Manchester City could add a centre-back and centre-forward to their squad this month.

City are interested in striker Omar Marmoush who has 18 goals and 12 assists this season for Eintracht Frankfurt, while young Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov was a longer-term target that could be accelerated this month.

Pep Guardiola's side would benefit from another defender given persistent injuries to John Stones, Ruben Dias and drops in form for others. Khusanov might not walk straight into the best starting XI, but he would be given the chance to play if (or when) others are not able to.

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That puts pressure on those defenders who have struggled to be fit - who might be better players but that is only relevant if they are available to play.

Someone like Stones would be put on alert by a new centre-back arriving, especially if Khusanov would be a player for the future and there is talk of rebuilding the squad.

Moving further forward, a best XI with Marmoush would probably see him slot in either next to or behind Erling Haaland. That is currently the position occupied by Kevin De Bruyne or Phil Foden, so it would likely result in a system similar to when Julian Alvarez would play before his summer exit.

Back then, Alvarez was at number ten, with De Bruyne or Foden joining him as a second number ten from their starting position. Either Foden inverted from the right-wing with Kyle Walker covering the flanks, or De Bruyne would push up from number eight with Rodri and John Stones covering behind him.

The issue is that City don't have Rodri until next season, Walker has been poor all campaign, and Stones has barely been available. Taking a number eight from the current system to accommodate another number ten would risk opening up the midfield further than it has been this season.

City have been cut open all season through the middle so that tactic would rely on outscoring the opposition and on a stronger defence than has been fielded so far. In that scenario, playing Marmoush in De Bruyne's position could see the Belgian drop out all together rather than redeployed - just as he's looking to prove himself worthy of a contract extension.

Another factor is that Marmoush would also probably see Foden switched back to the flanks after a season showing his quality in the middle. It hasn't quite worked out for Foden this term, so maybe a return to the wings could help.

Foden as a wing option again would push Jack Grealish further down the pecking order, just as Guardiola challenged him to increase his end product and consistency after 18 months of setbacks and inconsistencies. If Grealish has to react to Savinho's burst of form, he would equally have to show he is better than Marmoush and Foden.

Marmoush would add goals judging by his record - but he would also add more selection problems and a change of system to fit him in alongside Haaland.

But as City look to rebuild their squad, challenging the likes of De Bruyne, Grealish and Stones is necessary to keep them motivated and keep standards high. It's up to them to keep any new additions out of the starting XI.