Man City linked with Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal from Barcelona
Manchester City have strained their relations with Barcelona by trying to sign three of their players this summer, according to a report.
After Man City let Barcelona have Joao Cancelo on loan for the season, it would seem like the two clubs should have a strong connection. However, it turns out the opposite is true due to Man City’s attempts to deprive Barcelona of some promising talents.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Man City tried to sign Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi from Barcelona this summer. All three are g.raduates of La Masia.
Balde, 19, is already becoming Barcelona’s first-choice left-back in the post-Jordi Alba era, and has more than 50 appearances to his name for the first team so far.
Yamal, a 16-year-old winger, has contributed two assists from his first three appearances in La Liga this season, outlining himself as a bright prospect for the future.
Meanwhile, Cubarsi – also 16 – plays in defence and signed his first professional contract with Barcelona over the summer.
But Mundo Deportivo claims Man City have tried to disrupt the situation by attempting to lure each player to the Etihad Stadium in recent months.
Whether Man City would have placed each member of the trio in their first team or academy ranks has not been specified. Presumably, Balde would have had the best chance of earning senior gametime in Pep Guardiola’s setup.
Man City meddling with Barcelona star’s future?
In another interesting development, the report shares rumours that Man City may have meddled with one confirmed Barcelona exit this summer. Their former defender Eric Garcia went on loan to Girona, who are part of the City Group.
It is implied that Man City told Barcelona to send Garcia to Girona as a condition before agreeing to the Cancelo loan, even if the centre-back would have been a casualty anyway due to the signing of Inigo Martinez from Athletic Club.
Man City also prevented Bernardo Silva from leaving for Barcelona this summer, which has further complicated the connection between the two clubs.
It is interesting when movement between the two has been fairly frequent in recent years, either directly or indirectly. This summer, for example, Barcelona picked up Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer after he left Man City.
Their squad also contains Ferran Torres, whom they bought from Man City in January 2022. What the implications could be for future business between the two clubs remains unclear for the time being, though.
