Barcelona set sights on Man City defender

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The board at La Liga giants Barcelona have identified a member of the defensive ranks at Premier League giants Manchester City as a potential signing for the January transfer window.

This comes amid the understanding that the Blaugrana have set their sights on Rayan Aït-Nouri.

Deco and the Camp Nou brass are currently scouring the market for reinforcements at left-back, in preparation for the departure of the out-of-favour Alejandro Balde.

With Hansi Flick having made clear to the Spaniard that he does not feature in his plans, Balde has been left with no choice but to take into consideration a mid-season Barcelona exit.

And as alluded to above, over recent days, a new name has been added to the shortlist of options drawn up by the Catalans to replace their outbound full-back.

As per a report from Fichajes, citing Diario Sport:

‘If Alejandro Balde is ultimately let go, FC Barcelona will be forced to recruit a new left-back. Algerian Rayan Aït-Nouri plays a secondary role at Manchester City and could fit the bill as a replacement. Barca are closely monitoring his situation.’

Barcelona, for their part, are eyeing a loan deal without an obligation to buy, though Man City, where Aït-Nouri is himself out of favour, are keen on the inclusion of an automatic purchase clause.

Conor Laird – GSFN