Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly held talks with Barcelona president Joan Laporta about a potential deal involving Frenkie de Jong moving to the Etihad Stadium.
The Netherlands international has never quite found his best form in a Barca shirt, despite looking a hugely promising young talent during his Ajax days, and it seems his future at the Nou Camp could now be in some doubt.
According to El Nacional, Barcelona are now more open to considering offers for De Jong, and City boss Guardiola remains a big fan of him, with the report suggesting he could swap places with Raheem Sterling.
De Jong certainly seems like he could be a good fit for City’s style of play if he can get back to his best, so it will be interesting to see if the club’s board back their manager on this one.
In fairness to the 24-year-old, he’s far from the only big name to struggle to perform at his best at Barcelona in recent times, with other high-profile signings like Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann also flopping.
De Jong might now do well to try reviving his career under Guardiola at City, though it’s slightly surprising that a player of this type would be a priority given the quality MCFC already have in that position.