Exclusive: Pep Guardiola’s ‘dream signing’ collapses as Man City hit by hammer blow
Manchester City have next to no chance of signing Pedri this summer with the Spain midfielder labelled one of Barcelona’s “untouchables”, sources have told Football Insider.
Pep Guardiola sees Pedri as a “dream signing” for his new-look Man City side, with Kevin de Bruyne’s recently-announced departure from the Etihad Stadium leaving them in need of a midfield talisman.
Signing Pedri to replace the 33-year-old this summer, however, is nothing more than a dream, with sources telling Football Insider that he is one of few players Barcelona will not consider selling.
Pedri’s “untouchable” status in Catalonia comes despite Barcelona’s well-known financial issues, and the current La Liga leaders made this clear by tying him down to a new five-year deal in January.
Guardiola’s interest in the 22-year-old is no surprise given his ties to the club, but with Pedri under contract until 2030 and set to have the team built around him, Barcelona won’t even consider selling him.
Man City told to move on from Pedri pursuit
De Bruyne’s imminent departure could be the sky blue touchpaper for a summer of churn in the City midfield, with several other experienced players set to follow him out of the Etihad Stadium doors.
Barcelona rebuffed the chance to sign Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United in January as they prioritised the contract extensions given to Pedri and Gavi, putting any transfer speculation on hold.
Pedri would indeed be an ideal successor for De Bruyne, given both are two of the best in the world in their position, but signing the Spaniard for anything less than a world-record fee looks like a pipe-dream.
De Bruyne successor search begins for Pep Guardiola
Football Insider revealed on 30 March that AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders is on City’s radar, but De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva may all have to depart in order for them to sign the Dutchman.
Reijnders is a much more attainable transfer target than Pedri, but Guardiola may look into his own ranks for City’s next midfield metronome, with the likes of James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly at his disposal.
O’Reilly put in a man-of-the-match display against Bournemouth in the FA Cup to stake his first-team claims, but it remains to be seen if City will make a splash in their search for De Bruyne’s replacement.