AMAZING news for Australian football, City’s defensive priority in January and a raid on a title rival.

It’s a Manchester City focused edition of Rumour Mill.

PEP WANTS MOOY

Aaron Mooy has impressed Pep Guardiola.

The Manchester Evening News reports that Manchester City want to add the Australian to their midfield ranks for next season.

After joining City from Melbourne City, Mooy has turned heads with his performances in the Championship with Huddersfield, where he is on loan.

Mooy has previously spoken about the fact that he is in constant contact with the Premier League giants, and the paper suggests that the club see him as a perfect alternative to Fernandinho, who has been missed when he has been absent from the City engine room.

Their summation of Mooy is just as a Socceroos fan would suggest: “Like the Brazil star, he is an all-rounder, slotting neatly into the defensive role but also creative and dangerous when he plays further forward – and he is a setpiece specialist”.

He told newspaper The Huddersfield Examiner that he was aware he was being closely monitored.

“Manchester City speak to me at least once a week and their scouts are coming to our matches, so they know how I’m doing.

“They see me developing and they are in touch quite a lot, so it’s good.

“They wanted to put me in a tough league to test me out and see how I deal with it, and they are happy with how I’m going.

“But they still think I can improve and play at a higher level, so hopefully I can keep progressing.”

Aaron Mooy. Source: News Corp Australia

Mooy is on a three-year deal with City, and has relished working under David Wagner, a friend of Jurgen Klopp, who rates the Socceroo highly:

“Aaron is fantastic – a fantastic football player and a fantastic guy as well.

“He is humble but very ambitious and that’s why he’s at the right place here, as we are also humble and ambitious.

“He is the heart of our offensive game. He knows exactly when he has to accelerate the game, when to slow down the game.

“He makes nearly no mistakes in passing, and nearly always makes the right decisions. This is something special for an offensive player, who is able to handle the ball so well but is aggressive, with a very good working attitude in defence as well.

“This combination is something special.”

DEFENDER NEEDED

Southampton really have their work cut out this January, with Guardiola another who wants defender Virgil van Dijk.

The Daily Mail suggests the giants are contemplating a £50million power play for the Dutch defender. Although the Saints want to hold onto him until the summer, that kind of money for a player who cost £13m last year might be too tempting to ignore.

Southampton's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk. Source: AFP

STAR ON THE RISE

It looks like its Guardiola v Jurgen Klopp for Celtic sensation Moussa Dembele, valued at £20million.

The Sun reports that City want to take Liverpool on in a bid to land the 20-year-old, who has scored 17 times since arriving in Scotland from Fulham this season.

City’s advantage includes a relationship formed from loan deals with Patrick Roberts, Dedryck Boyata, Jason Denayer and Georgios Samaras.

Celtic's Northern Irish manager Brendan Rodgers (R) speaks to Celtic's French striker Moussa Dembele Source: AFP

ODDS SHORTEN

With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into the final 18 months of his Arsenal deal, and seemingly not overly content with his lot at the Emirates, British bookmakers have brought City in as favourites to prise away the pacey winger.

It comes after The Sun reported that they’re prepared to offer £25million to make him the latest Gunner to move to the Etihad, after Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor.