Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the City Is Ours daily digest, your dose of Manchester City news you might have missed.
The father of an elite midfielder has hinted that City are well in with a shout of signing his son.
Meanwhile another young talent - and recently-crowned league winner - could be set for a Premier League move and City's plans for life after Pep Guardiola might have just been given a useful boost.
When it rains...
It's no secret that Guardiola is a huge admirer of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The City boss was keen for the club to sign the Dutch maestro from Ajax in 2019, and will have kept tabs on his progress ever since.
Speculation linking De Jong with City has been a staple of recent months, with his name cropping up a little more frequently since Barca's interest in Ferran Torres became public.
Now the player's father has hinted that City could be in the running to prise the 24-year-old away from Camp Nou.
"Bayern or United? I know Barca need money and a great offer could help, but I don't see that happening. However, five [of the] best clubs in Europe have called for him," John de Jong told Dutch publication Algemeen Dagblad (AD).
City are definitely one of the top five best clubs in Europe and have long been fans of De Jong - it doesn't take a genius to put two-and-two together, does it.
Our take
De Jong senior then tried to put out the flames of speculation by saying: "It’s often bad weather there. Of course it’s about football, but it does matter.”
But, come on, it's not like it's tropical in Amsterdam!
Frenkie has struggled for Barca this season and realistically, given his club's woes on and off the pitch, he can't expect to win any significant silverware any time soon.
A move to City certainly makes sense for him, as it does for City - they'll need to start refreshing their midfield within the next few years.
Next stop: Premier League?
Valentin Castellanos is a name City fans better start getting used to.
The Argentine forward enjoyed a fruitful season as his 22 top-flight goals helped fire New York City FC - City's sister club - to a first-ever MLS title.
Pep Guardiola has certainly been paying attention to the 23-year-old, who scored in the MLS final on Saturday.
"What I saw when the scouting department talked to me, what [former New York City manager] Dome Torrent said when I was there [in 2018] and talked about him, I know he is a quality player and I think he is ready to make the next step to Europe. We will see where," Guardiola said on Monday.
That "where" could well be West Ham - City's Premier League counterparts have reportedly contacted NYCFC about a deal, which would likely be in the region of £15million.
Our take
People often query the purpose of the City Football Group, but this is an example of how it can work.
Castellanos may never get a move to City, but any transfer fee received by NYCFC will trickle into the group as a whole. The more talents that are produced the better the reputation of the group becomes, and the chances that one day City will recruit directly from the likes of NYCFC will increase.
Guardiola and Ten Hag link-up
The Athletic has reported that Pere Guardiola - brother and representative of Pep Guardiola - has joined the Sport Entertainment Group.
An intriguing aspect here is that the Netherlands-based company looks after Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, one of the names touted as a possible successor to Pep at Eastlands.
Guardiola is yet to commit to the club beyond the end of his current deal in 2023.
Our take
Would could look back on this development as the moment when the man to replace Guardiola became clearly signposted.
Back in the summer, Guardiola suggested that he would need a break from football after his seventh season at the Etihad and, in terms of providing continuity in playing style, Ten Hag would be the perfect replacement.
The two follow similar Cruyffian principles of play and even worked together briefly at Bayern Munich, where Ten Hag was in charge of the second team. Let's see if Perre can work some magic.
