Manchester City are reportedly battling two European giants to sign a new midfielder.
With their latest season now over, which saw the Blues become the first side to win four Premier League titles in a row, the focus has now switched to the upcoming summer transfer window.
In fact, some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding one particular player the Citizens apparently have their eyes on ahead of the upcoming transfer period.
City eyeing summer transfer swoop for Liverpool and Bayern Munich target
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In a recent post shared on their X account, Deportes 24 said that journalist Leo Paradizo has claimed that City, as well as Liverpool and Bayern Munich, have an interest in signing Alan Varela from FC Porto.
After making 111 senior appearances for his boyhood club Boca Juniors, the 22-year-old joined Porto during the previous summer transfer window.
In his debut season with the Portuguese club, the defensive-midfielder started 41 of the 44 games he appeared in across all competitions, scoring two goals and providing three assists along the way.
Varela proved himself to be a top midfielder in debut season at Porto
Across his 30 appearances in the Portuguese league, Varela made more passes into the final third of the pitch (176) than any other Porto player.
He also ended the campaign with the highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (59) at the club and made more blocks than any of his teammates.
This shows how effective the midfielder, who apparently has a release clause worth £60m in his contract, is on and off the ball.
It also makes it easy to see why he was once described as a “Rolls-Royce” of a player by football talent scout Jacek Kulig on X.
With all of that in mind, it’s understandable why City, as well as Liverpool and Bayern, reportedly have the Argentine on their radar ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
Moving forward, if Pep Guardiola feels that the midfield is an area he thinks his squad can strengthen, we feel that a possible move for Varela could be a smart way for the club to do that.