Manchester City keeping tabs on Argentine youngster

Manchester City are interested in securing the services of River Plate defender Lucas Martinez Quarta in a deal that would see compatriot Nicolas Otamendi move the other, reports TNT Sports. 

The 23-year-old featured in 19 of River Plate's 23 league games this season, yielding a WhoScored rating of 7.01 in the process. 

And his performances have attracted the interest of City boss Pep Guardiola, who is keen to bring Quarta to the Etihad Stadium this summer. 

To help sweeten the deal, City are prepared to include Otamendi as a makeweight for the centre-back with the 32-year-old surplus to requirements with the Premier League champions. 

Otamendi has made 15 league starts for City this season, but that is largely due to injuries to Aymeric Laporte and John Stones, who between them have made 17 league starts for Guardiola's side. 

Defence has been a problematic position for City in the Premier League this season and is a priority for the club to strengthen in the transfer market. 

Boasting a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'passing', Quarta ranked 13th for passes per game (55.5) in the Superliga.