Pep Guardiola wants Frenkie de Jong in return as Barcelona pursue 3 Manchester City stars: Reports
Barcelona and Manchester City are yet again in the headlines after the recent transfer of Ferran Torres from City to Barca. According to El Nacional, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has set his sights on signing one of Raheem Sterling, Joao Cancelo or Bernardo Silva from Manchester City. Pep Guardiola, who is aware of the interest, is set to demand Frenkie de Jong in return for the transfer from the Catalans.
During the start of the 2021-22 season, Manchester City were desperately trying to offload the likes of Sterling and Silva. However, the club failed to find suitors who were willing to accept the monetary demands of the club. This became a blessing in disguise as Silva has put in stellar performances for City this season.
The Portuguese has made 24 appearances this season in all competitions, scoring seven goals and making two assists.
🚨 Manchester City and Barcelona are considering a swap deal that could see Raheem Sterling and Frenkie de Jong swap places. (Source: El Nacional) https://t.co/H6oMmFa4Kq
When it was announced that Barcelona had signed Ferran Torres from Manchester City in December, fans were a bit shocked. This was due to the fact that the Catalans, during the start of this season, had lots of financial obstacles and limitations. Barcelona's exit from the UEFA Champions League in the group stage has made the situation worse.
As a result, reports came from Catalunya stating that the club are looking to sell Frenkie de Jong and Marc-André ter Stegen to balance their books.
Frenkie de Jong has made 21 appearances this season for Barcelona. In that he has scored just one goal and made just one assist.
Barcelona set to announce the signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City on December 27
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are set to make an official announcement on the signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City. The report suggests that the club could be making it official on December 27. The Catalans have spent €55 million ($62 million) to buy the Spanish winger from Manchester City.
“Yes, Ferrán Torres to Barça is close”, Man City manager Pep Guardiola confirms. 🤝🇪🇸 #FCB
“Ferrán is from Spain, Barcelona want him, he said he wants to leave, I said… leave. I called Txiki, his agent makes a deal and he’s leaving. I want players to be happy”. 🔵 #MCFC https://t.co/jAovwCKEnT
Barca fans have been very much looking forward to this transfer. Torres is a highly rated winger in spain due to his stellar performances for the Spanish national team. He has scored 12 goals and made one assists in just 22 games for Spain.
Xavi Hernandez will be ecstatic with the signing of Torres and fans will be hoping to watch their team play better football in the near future.