Real 'threat'? Manchester City keeping a close eye on two FC Barcelona 'heavyweights'

The 'bridge' that links the Etihad Stadium with the Spotify Camp Nou is becoming more and more consolidated. Players such as Ilkay Gündogan, Joao Cancelo, Ferran Torres and Eric García are some of the footballers who have worn the Manchester City and FC Barcelona shirts in recent years, although they might not be the last. The 'partnership' between both clubs in the transfer market remains in force and a couple of 'weighty' names could star in some 'hit' in the future.

The first of them would be none other than Ronald Araújo. The Uruguayan defender was involved in various rumours that linked him to a possible exit from the club after Barça considered him transferable, since he is one of the most marketable players due to his potential and hierarchy. The Catalan club was looking favourably on his sale this summer as he could have solved several of the club's financial emergencies, but the injury suffered in the quarter-finals of the Copa América against Brazil ruled out any possibility of a transfer.

The defender will return to the first team between the end of this year and the beginning of the next, and it will be then when the institutions interested in his signing will activate the machinery. According to 'El Nacional.cat', the 'skyblue' squad, like Paris Saint-Germain, intends to convince the South American not to renew his contract with the Catalans in order to try to sign him at a low cost in the summer window of 2025, or even, to incorporate him as a free agent when his contract expires in 2026. A scenario that, today, seems difficult, but given the player's lack of response to Barça's offers to extend his contract, his future remains open.

A 'surprise' in midfield

On the other hand, the current Premier League champions are also reportedly on the trail of Pedri González, whose progress has been 'reduced' in recent years by his 'ordeal' with injuries. The Canary Islander is considered one of the main pillars of the club and, when he manages to have continuity, he has shown that he is one of the players, if not the one, with the greatest talent in the squad. Despite this, his recurring physical problems have prevented him from fully establishing himself in the first team, although he hopes to reverse his situation under the command of Hansi Flick.

However, Pep Guardiola, a great admirer of the Tenerife native, is closely following his evolution, since Kevin de Bruyne's time at the Etihad Stadium is beginning to come to an end and the Spanish midfielder would be one of the candidates to replace him in the sky blue squad. If Pedri proves to have left his physical problems behind and sees that his role in the team is overshadowed by players like Dani Olmo, Manchester could go after him in the 2025 transfer market.