Manchester City are ready to offer to £22million for West Brom skipper Jonny Evans.

The Blues had an £18m bid for former Manchester United centre-back Evans rejected earlier this week, but are ready to improve the fee.

Boss Pep Guardiola is determined to land the 29-year-old, on a £140,000-a-week contract, because he needs to add a home-grown or ‘locally-trained’ player to comply with Premier League and UEFA rules on the composition of his 25-man squad.

He must first offload £42m flop centre-back Eliaquim Mangala, who is wanted by Italy's Inter Milan.

West Brom named Evans their captain when Darren Fletcher moved on in June (
Image:
Action Images via Reuters)

Evans would not be a first-choice at the Etihad if everyone's fit, but can look forward to almost doubling his current £75,000-a-week wages — as well as the chance to play in the Champions League and compete for the Premier League title.

The Northern Ireland international is said to have thought hard about the move, given his links with Old Trafford after nine years with City's bitter rivals and the fact he is an automatic pick at the Baggies .

The 29-year-old would replace Mangala, who is close to moving on to Inter Milan (
Image:
Getty)

Guardiola wants to add a centre-back to his squad, to provide cover for Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones.

There are doubts over captain Kompany’s ability to remain fit throughout the season, given the Belgian’s persistent injury problems in recent seasons. And with Guardiola keen to play three at the back this season, Evans has been identified as the ideal player to add to his squad.

Evans' nine years at Old Trafford saw him win the Premier League three times (
Image:
Man Utd/Getty)

West Brom are understood to have rejected two bids from Leicester for the player this summer, before also dismissing Man City’s opening gambit.

Evans has been made skipper following Darren Fletcher’s free-agent move to Stoke earlier this summer, and boss Tony Pulis is desperate to keep him. But the Welshman knows it will be tough for West Brom to turn down an offer of £20m-plus for Evans, with City determined to land him.

Although France international Mangala made the bench for Saturday's season-opening 2-0 win at Brighton, he has no future under Guardiola.

Inter are keen on the player, who has failed to live up to the massive fee that brought him in from Portuguese side Porto in 2014.

City wanted £30m for Mangala, who spent last season on loan at Spain's Valencia, but could be forced to settle for just half what they paid for him to get him off their books.

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