Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been given a boost in the transfer market after information has emerged that a player is reportedly sold on the idea of moving to the Etihad Stadium.
Man City transfer updates…
The Citizens are no strangers to transfer rumours and are usually there or thereabouts when it comes to some of Europe's most promising talent being linked with a move, which is understandable given their dominance in the Premier League.
This term, Guardiola's men have started as they mean to go on and sit at the top of the pile with 28 points from their opening 12 fixtures in the league; however, the former Barcelona boss will be aware that one or two additions in January may well be necessary to ensure his side have enough depth to flourish in both domestic and European competition.
According to 90min, Man City will be rivalled by Chelsea in their pursuit of Boca Juniors wonderkid Valentin Barco, who is believed to have a release clause of just £8 million inserted into his current agreement at the South American giants. Intriguingly, the report also states that the Sky Blues have watched Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri over the last year alongside Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
Estevao Willian, a 16-year-old winger who is making waves out in Brazil with Palmeiras, is another player on the radar of the Citizens as they scour the globe for talent, as per TEAMtalk. Despite this, the prodigy is also attracting interest from a whole host of clubs, including his favoured Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Any swoop is likely to be a pre-agreed transfer that would see Willian move in 2025 when he turns 18.
Manchester City's next five fixtures – Premier League
Opponent
Venue
Liverpool (H)
Etihad Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Etihad Stadium
Aston Villa (A)
Villa Park
Luton Town (A)
Kenilworth Road
Crystal Palace (H)
Etihad Stadium
Now, fresh information has emerged that one player who has previously been linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium would now be keen to join the Premier League champions, in what is a boost for Guardiola and co.
Ian Maatsen keen to join Man City
According to Football Insider journalist Pete O'Rourke, Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen would be "very keen" to join Manchester City if Guardiola's men decided to launch a move for his services.
A Netherlands Under-21 international, Maatsen is believed to want more regular game time amid the emergence of Marc Cucurella as a regular starter under Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge. His current contract is set to expire in the summer of 2025 after seeing it extended by the west Londoners.
Linked with Man City in October, Maatsen, who has previously been labelled "exceptional" by former teammate Simon Moore, has made nine appearances in all competitions this campaign, though has been on the periphery at his current employers for most of 2023/24 (Maatsen statistics – Transfermarkt).
Man City now on the trail of "complete" player compared to Eder Militao
City are planning a raid of the continent as Pep looks to strengthen a key area of his squad…
BySean Markus CliffordNov 22, 2023
The Citizens currently have Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol and the injured Sergio Gomez who can all feature on the left-hand side of defence, though bringing Maatsen to the club could provide some additional depth in the position for Guardiola.