Manchester City need freshening up.
The drab Manchester derby on Sunday emphasised just how stale the squad has become under Pep Guardiola – with the Citizens mustering up only nine shots across the 90 minutes.
In particular, the midfield trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan made for a slow game – the trio have a combined age of 97.
Therefore, Manchester City could do with some young, energetic talent at the Etihad Stadium – and one of the best prospects on the planet is now being closely monitored.
Manchester City keeping a close eye on talks between Barcelona and Lamine Yamal
Mundo Deportivo now state that Manchester City are paying close attention to contract talks between Barcelona and Lamine Yamal.
The Spain international will only have 12 months remaining on his contract in June, and the Spanish giants are desperate to keep him in Catalonia amid his rise to stardom.
Yamal – who is just 17 – announced himself to the world last summer when playing a key role as Spain won UEFA Euro 2024, scoring once and assisting another four in seven games.
Mundo Deportivo state that the teenager wants to remain with Barcelona – which Manchester City are aware of – although he is keen to become one of the highest earners at the club.
Talks are ongoing with all parties expecting an agreement to be reached in May – but Manchester City are paying close attention nonetheless, due to Barcelona’s well documented financial restrictions.
The Spanish news outlet add that Liverpool are also alert to the situation regarding Yamal – who has impressively scored 13 goals and provided 19 assists in 42 appearances so far this season.
What Julian Alvarez has said about Lamine Yamal
If Hugo Viana can somehow find a way to bring Yamal – who Rodri admires – to the Etihad Stadium, the move would presumably come with the approval of Julian Alvarez, who Liverpool wanted.
The Argentine is a huge fan of his fellow La Liga star, telling EFE: “He is very young, but today, he is one of the best players in the world. The things he does and the quality he has at such a young age are admirable. It’s always nice to play against the best, and for the fans, it’s a luxury to have players like him.”
Yamal – who is valued at €180.3m (£154m) by the CIES Football Observatory – is well on track to become a Ballon d’Or winner one day, so it would be a real coup if Manchester City can secure his signature.
