London, Feb 22 (IANS): Manchester City are eyeing a shock move for Premier League title-rivals Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel.
With England centre-back Joleon Lescott out of favour at the Etihad, City manager Manuel Pellegrini will be on the look out for a central defender in the summer, reports dailymail.co.uk.
The 29-year-old is emerging as a prime target and City believe he can be prised away should Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League.
The Slovak defender has done well for the Anfield club this season and has played a key role in Liverpool's fight for a top-four finish.
Earlier in the month, Skrtel had admitted he had thought about leaving last summer, with reported interests from clubs like FC Barcelona and Napoli. But said it was hard to leave "one of the best clubs", and was glad to have stayed.