Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi wants face-to-face talks with manager Pep Guardiola regarding his future at the club, according to The Sun.
The newspaper claim that the Argentina international wants assurances of playing time at some point soon after being usurped in the starting XI by new pairing John Stones and Aymeric Laporte.
The Sun report that Otamendi remains happy at the Etihad Stadium having only signed a new deal in the summer, but he will assess his future at the end of the season if he does not get more regular football by then.
It is said that both Real Madrid and Barcelona are interested in the 30-year-old.
OPINION
There is no suggestion that this situation is something City need to worry about at the moment, but there is most certainly danger that it could develop into that soon. Otamendi has played just six games for the club all season, following a campaign which saw him make 46 appearances in all competitions as a virtual ever-present in the back line. Going from a mainstay to a fringe player is sure to unsettle any player, especially one who is not particularly young anymore. Otamendi will want to use the remaining years of his career in the best way possible, and sitting on the bench is obviously not what he has in mind. It is unclear how Guardiola will go about these talks, with the City boss obviously not wanting to lose Otamendi, but being unlikely to promote him soon amid the form of Stones and Laporte. Hopefully the two can thrash out a solution which pleases everyone.