Manchester City target rules out move until the summer

Manchester City will have to wait until the summer if they want to sign Philipp Max as the Augsburg left-back is confident he will remain with the Bundesliga club for the second half of this season.

Max has enjoyed a sublime campaign for Augsburg and has recently emerged as a potential transfer target for City as Pep Guardiola weighs up his options at left-back.

Fabian Delph has been forced to adapt at left-back in the wake of Benjamin Mendy’s season-ending injury and a lack of cover for Delph could threaten City’s chances of success on all fronts until May.

However, while admitting a move to the Premier League represents a good option for him, Max does not believe he will switch clubs this month.

“I’ve dreamed of playing abroad since I was a kid and I think the English league would be a good match for my straightforward style on the pitch,” he told Sport Bild, via Get German Football.

“Other clubs can be sexy too, but this is a topic for the future. I have a contract with Augsburg. In football, you can never rule anything out but I firmly believe that in the second half [of the season] I will play for Augsburg.”

The 24-year-old has established himself as one of the best assist-makers in Europe this season and it’s not hard to see why Guardiola has taken an interest to a defender that can be so threatening in the offensive third.

In fact, no player has provided more assists in Europe’s top five leagues than Max (9), which is all the more remarkable when you consider he has made 15 of his 17 appearances at left-back.