Man City among five clubs interested in 20-year-old Barcelona midfielder

Barcelona have seen a large influx of young talent from La Masia into the first team over the past couple of years.

Ansu Fati got his big break while Ilaix Moriba also looked good briefly before leaving the club. Oscar Mingueza has become a key squad member while this season saw the emergence of two midfielders in Gavi and Nico Gonzalez, who have become integral to Xavi Hernandez’s setup.

The young midfield duo has been the breakout stars of the campaign for Barça and are seen as the present and the future of the club. As a result, the Blaugrana are already working on a contract extension for Gavi, whose current deal expires in the summer of 2023.

As for Nico, he had signed a new contract with the club in May last year, extending his stay until 2024. The deal includes a massive release clause worth €500 million. However, owing to his progress in the team, clubs across Europe are eyeing a swoop for the 20-year-old, reports MARCA.

As per the report, Premier League champions Manchester City are one of the Spanish midfielder’s greatest admirers and have been following his progress for a while now.

Considering how he has flourished over the past eight months, it would be natural that their interest in the La Masia product will have only gotten stronger.

Apart from Pep Guardiola’s side, the report states that two more unnamed clubs from the Premier League are also keen on Nico, along with one team each from Germany and Italy.

With interest in him rising, along with his stature within the team, Barcelona are now planning to open negotiations with Nico to hand him a new deal. His renewal last year was done on a lower wage and the club wants to tie him down with a long-term contract on a salary that reflects his current status.

Talks are likely to begin once the Catalan giants take care of the more urgent renewals such as Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Sergi Roberto.