Manchester City could be set for a transfer battle with Manchester United and Wolves over Benfica wonderkid Ruben Dias.
According to O Jogo, City may look to sign Dias during the January transfer window but their plans are at risk as United and the Wanderers are also keeping tabs on him.
The Red Devils have been eyeing the highly-rated centre-back for some time as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to add talented youngsters as part of his vision of building a strong side.
City, on the other hand, have had trouble in defence this season as John Stones was out for almost two months with a muscle injury whereas Ayhmeric Laporte may not be back until February or March after undergoing knee surgery.
The crisis at the centre-back position has caused a significant headache for Pep Guardiola who was criticised for not signing a replacement for the longtime captain Vincent Kompany, who joined Anderlecht as a player-manager in the summer.
Dias is seen as a possible solution following some impressive displays for Benfica ever since being called up to the senior squad in 2017.
The 22-year-old has already made a staggering 102 appearances for the Portuguese champions and is now an integral part of the team.
The Portugal international is rated highly by Benfica sporting director and Portugal legend Rui Costa who addressed the transfer speculation in September.
Costa said: “If he goes away I don’t know: we would like to keep him still and Ruben knows that here we would have a lot of attention.
“The club has needs to sell to make cash.
“We will see how the summer market will develop.”
City’s Premier League championship hopes were dealt a significant blow on Sunday after losing to title rivals Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield.
Guardiola’s team are now fourth in the table and nine points behind the undefeated Reds.