Sources: Man City set sights on signing Brentford star Aaron Hickey
Man City have sent scouts to watch Brentford star Aaron Hickey this season, sources have told Football Insider.
Manchester rivals Man United have also been scouting Hickey and both clubs are interested in signing the defender this summer.
The 20-year-old joined the Bees from Italian side Bologna last summer for a reported fee of £14million that could rise to £18m with add-ons.
The left-back put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the club that runs until 2026 but could depart as soon as 12 months after his arrival.
The former Hearts defender has made 20 Premier League appearances for Thomas Frank’s side and has been in the starting XI for 18 of those outings.
As quoted by Sky Sports (25 April), the Brentford boss said Hickey is a “very good young player” who has a “fantastic future” in front of him.
Frank also suggested the Scotland international will be able to reach the heights of Man City but is not there yet.
Hickey has already been capped by Steve Clarke nine times for the Scotland team, despite already having the selection headache of Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney.
The defender began his career at Hearts’ academy before joining Celtic’s under-17s side for a year.
Hickey returned to Hearts in 2019 when he signed a professional deal before being sold to Bologna in 2020 for around £1.5m.
In other news, Man City set to earn two times as much cash as Newcastle before a Champions League ball is kicked.