Greece international midfielder emerges as Manchester City transfer target as January window nears

Manchester City have reportedly renewed interest in Konstantinos Karetsas, who attracted the Premier League side in 2023 before joining KRC Genk from Anderlecht.

Recognised as a prospective midfield solution with an exciting future, the 18-year-old has seemingly caught the eye of Pep Guardiola and the scouting team on multiple occasions while the Catalan actively looks to secure back-up options before the January window opens.

With the summer additions of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders in the centre of the pitch, Manchester City’s depth in midfield is thought to be less worrying than it is in other positions but could still be strengthened with further additions.

So far this season, Pep Guardiola has resorted to playing Bernardo Silva in an unorthodox holding midfield position – largely down to the burden of resting players during a campaign where playing three games per week comes as no surprise.

Though Manchester City’s summer was led successfully by new sporting director Hugo Viana and co, with over £150 million spent, January is expected to be much quieter despite the Premier League side scouting the market attentively.

But as reported by Het Laatste Nieuws and translated by Sport Witness, City have revived an intention to bring Konstantinos Karetsas to England, and were one of 23 clubs to have sent scouts to the Cegeka Arena to watch the attacking midfielder live in action last week.

Playing the full 90 minutes in Genk’s 2-1 win over FC Basel in the Europa League and even getting his name on the scoresheet for the all-important second goal of the night, Karetsas certainly made a strong impression.

Last year, Karetsas’ father confirmed City – alongside RB Leipzig and AC Milan – invited the talent on several occasions. Fast forward and City are back in the mix but face competition as Milan, AS Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund all show interest.

City officials and those at other clubs would have inevitably gathered a positive report of the 18-year-old due to his elegance in a free attacking role. Often compared to players with a similar style such as Martin Odegaard and Neymar, Karetsas can control the ball in tight spaces and power past opponents, utilising an ability with both feet.

The Belgium-born Greece international would be unlikely to start regularly given the obvious superiority of Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, who both contributed in Manchester City’s 3-2 win against Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.

But his potential is unwavering and the ability he possesses in the early stages of his career will undoubtedly excite the club, though they would find signing him in the near future a huge challenge.

Karetsas turned 18 on November 19 and two days later signed a new contract with Genk until the summer of 2029, meaning his signature will cost any club in Europe a substantial amount of money that, perhaps, would not meet the justification of those involved.