OPINION
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly made preliminary moves to sign Real Madrid youngster Marcos Llorente this summer.
Spanish outlet Don Balon claims that Guardiola has been keeping tabs on numerous Madrid players this summer such as Karim Benzema, Isco and Toni Kroos but he has decided to pursue 22-year-old Spaniard Llorente.
The report claims that the City manager has already contacted the player’s representatives about a potential move and he has assured the defensive midfielder of playing regular football in Manchester next season.
The Spaniard currently has one year remaining on his contract at the Bernabeu.
Good move for Manchester City?
This could potentially turn out to be a very shrewd move by City as they wouldn’t be expected to splash big money on a player who is on the fringes of the Madrid first-team.
With both Yaya Toure and Fernandinho entering the latter stages of their careers, Llorente could potentially be deployed as the new anchor man who could add more solidity to the City midfield.
The Spaniard enjoyed a fine campaign in La Liga last season when he was sent out on a season long loan to newly-promoted Alaves and he featured in 38 matches in all competitions.
Llorente’s impressed with his performances as the holding midfielder as he helped Alaves to secure a ninth-place finish and boast a better defensive record than Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao who all finished above them.
The midfielder also played a massive role in guiding the club to its first ever Copa del Rey final against Barcelona last season.
Llorente also proved to be an important part of the Under-21 Spain national team who reached the final of the European Championships this summer, starting in four out of the five matches.
Under the guidance of Guardiola, the youngster could further develop his game and also prove to be a very important player in the Premier League for years to come
This Is Futbol rating: 7/10.
Likely to happen?
With Madrid currently dominating European football, Llorente will surely find it very difficult to break into the first-team fold this season with Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro the preferred choices in the midfield.
The fact that the report states that Guardiola has already assured him regular first-team action this season indicates that City are serious about their pursuit.
Although he is currently part of the best team in Europe at the moment, it will be very difficult for Llorente to reject an offer to play under Guardiola especially when he’ll have the opportunity to be part of a team who are the strong favourites to lift the Premier League.
This Is Futbol rating: 7/10.