Manchester City are expected to enter the race to sign Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar, according to reports in England.

The Slovakian international was the subject of interest from the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, but Inter are believed to have slapped a sky-high price tag (as much as €90m/£78m) on the player despite his contract running down into its final year.

Skriniar will be able to speak to clubs abroad as soon as January ahead of a potential free transfer at the end of the season.

Whether City actually need another centre-back, though, it is up for debate. Manager Pep Guardiola currently has John Stones, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji as options in his first-team squad.

Skriniar’s availability does present a dilemma, though. He is a top-class centre-half and, with the injury problems suffered by the likes of Stones and Ake (in particular), it may be felt that adding more depth is needed.