Manchester City are reportedly considering a €45m (£38.2m) January bid for Juventus defender Merih Demiral.

The English champions have suffered a centre-back shortage this season following the departure of Vincent Kompany and a long-term injury to Aymeric Laporte, forcing Fernandinho to play much of the campaign as an emergency defender.

Pep Guardiola has previously played down the prospect of City doing any major business in January, but Turkish outlet Sabah reports that the Spaniard has been impressed by Demiral's performances in Turin this season.

The 21-year-old has overtaken Matthijs de Ligt in the Juventus pecking order in recent weeks, despite the Italian giants spending £75m to sign De Ligt from Ajax just last summer.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City are all understood to have been alerted to Demiral's form and are tracking his progress, but they could now face competition from the big-spending champions.

However, the report goes on to state that, while City are lining up a January bid for the Turkey international, a move may not necessarily take place this month and could be postponed until the end of the season.

Demiral only joined Juventus from Sassuolo in July, signing a five-year contract in a deal worth a reported €18m (£15.3m).