Manchester City are looking to bolster their midfield with a talented youngster from Barcelona.
The Sky Blues have done work in this area already with moves for Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, but feel they could use another new face.
At Barcelona, they believe they’ve spotted the ideal candidate.
Barcelona star not ‘closing any doors’ in Manchester City interest
The Catalan side are blessed in the centre of the pitch, with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Casado, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez to call upon.
They are, however, not as gifted in their accounts department, with their financial outlook, as ever, uncertain.
That may lead them to consider a sale for the last on that list, Lopez, with City ready to offer €60m for the player, according to El Nacional.
Lopez is believed to be targeting the 2026 World Cup and does not want a repeat of the season he’s just had, where he made just 12 La Liga starts for Barca.
City boss Pep Guardiola is reported to have personally requested the signing, valuing the player’s work rate, ability on the ball and goal threat.
The midfielder’s contract was only extended towards the end of last year, running until 2029, but, according to the same report, is open to exploring his options already if a suitable opportunity comes in, and his place at Barca still looks uncertain.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, with Barca never far from financial trouble and bursting with players who can fill Lopez’s role, it seems a no-brainer to cash in.
Letting a homegrown player will hurt, especially with how highly-regarded their La Masia setup is in the city, but it makes little sense to hoard a player with an uncertain path to first-team minutes.
That doesn’t mean they should shift him out at the first sign of an offer, but if a deal is present that matches their valuation of the player, they should probably look to take it.
Lopez is valued at €50m, according to Transfermarkt.
