Manchester City have been linked with a move for Atalanta left-back Robin Gosens recently and, if he were to join Pep Guardiola's side in the summer, he could be the ideal successor to Benjamin Mendy.

According to Italian journalist Marco Conterio, Atalanta are certain that the German will leave the club this summer, with Manchester City interested in bringing him in.

He also suggests that it will cost the Citizens around €40m (£34.4m) to bring him to the Etihad Stadium ahead of next season.

If Gosens were to join, you imagine that he would challenge Oleksandr Zinchenko for the starting spot at left-back, with the Ukrainian having worked hard to establish himself as a regular there this season, despite suggestions that he was likely to leave during recent transfer windows.

Although the 24-year-old does a solid job in that position, he doesn't offer too much going forward, as he has no goals or assists in 18 appearances for the Citizens so far this season.

Gosens, meanwhile, has registered a superb nine goals and four assists in 21 Serie A appearances for Atalanta, which has seen him average a superb 7.46 WhoScored rating.

Mendy's injury issues have meant that City haven't had a regular at left-back since the days of Gael Clichy and Alexander Kolarov, as the Frenchman has spent the majority of his time with the club on the sidelines.

However, he did show glimpses of how dangerous City can be with an attack-minded left-back, as he contributed five assists in 10 games in the 2018/19 season, resulting in a superb 7.29 WhoScored average rating.

City's tactics this season have regularly seen Joao Cancelo move into midfield from right-back or left-back, which suggests that Gosens could be an ideal candidate to do this in Guardiola's side, as the 26-year-old has regularly played in midfield during his time with Atalanta.

He would also be a more natural option in that position than both Cancelo and Zinchenko, so sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely look at bringing him to the Etihad this summer, as he could be a superb addition to Guardiola's side and an excellent replacement for Mendy.

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