Manchester City
Premier League • England
Guardiola masterplan for next Man City signing revealed after outmuscling Prem side for £10m man
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola
The destination Manchester City would send Valentin Barco to on loan if they sign him from Boca Juniors has been pinpointed in a recent report.
Man City have been keeping a close eye on Barco’s development in Argentina during recent months. The left-back has made a name for himself with Copa Libertadores runners-up Boca Juniors and could earn a move to the Premier League as a result.
However, if Man City win the race for his signature, there have been claims they could send him on loan to the Championship, rather than integrate him straight away.
And an update from The Sun has now narrowed down his potential next step as being to join Leicester City on loan for the second half of the season.
Not only are Leicester flying in the Championship, but they are managed by Pep Guardiola’s former assistant, Enzo Maresca.
Therefore, in theory, Barco could prepare to adapt to Guardiola’s setup in ideal fashion by spending six months with Leicester, all while acclimatising to English football.
The Foxes do not actually have an out-and-out left-back in their squad, using James Justin there in their most recent fixture despite him naturally being a right-back, so there could be space for Barco to develop with Maresca.
First of all, Man City need to actually sign Barco from Boca Juniors, but they are believed to be in pole position to do so.
According to the report, the chances of Brighton beating them to Barco’s signature have dropped to 25 per cent, despite the Seagulls previously considering a move to trigger his release clause.
Man City will be able to sign Barco instead for a fee in the region of £10m, which could rise to £13m with add-ons.
The 19-year-old is only under contract with Boca Juniors until December 2024, but has every chance of leaving them before then.
Man City hoping to win Barco race
Premier League champions Man City will hope to stay in the lead for his signature after (beyond Brighton) TEAMtalk learned Chelsea also have him on their shortlist and other outlets added Liverpool into contention too.
Barco has made 34 appearances at senior level for Boca Juniors so far after emerging from within their own youth system.
One reason he appeals so much to elite clubs is his ability to play anywhere up and down the left flank, but it is mainly as a wing-back that he has gained gametime in recent months, particularly on the Copa Libertadores run.