Manchester City transfer news: Pep Guardiola ready to step up pursuit of Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell

Manchester City are ready to step up their pursuit of Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell in the summer, according to reports.

Pep Guardiola has realised that he needs to add reinforcements on the left-side of his defence, with Benjamin Mendy an unreliable outlet with his reccuring injury problems.

The Frenchman signed for the Cityzens from Monaco 18 months ago but has appeared in just 15 Premier League matches.

He made his return from knee surgery against Burton last week – but his knee swelled up and he was subsequently ruled out for their FA Cup win against Burnley on Saturday.

According to ESPN, Etihad chief Guardiola has now placed Chilwell at the top his target list for the summer window to provide competition for Mendy.

Chilwell impressed in the Leicester youth teams before breaking through the ranks to cement a starting place in the side in 2016/17 season.

The 21-year-old is now one of the Foxes standout performers – and his impressive form has earned him five caps for England.

Guardiola has been using Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko to fill in for Mendy, but he wishes to have two quality players for every position – and Chilwell fits the bill.

The Milton Keynes-born defender is an attractive proposition for the Spaniard as he would count as a homegrown player.

The champions are keen to do their business early this summer, with a left-back and defensive midfielder Guardiola’s top priorities.