Agent has held talks: Man City now on the verge of sealing deal to sign “great” new gem for Pep

Agent has held talks: Man City now on the verge of sealing deal to sign “great” new gem for PepIn what is a strange sight at this stage of the season, Manchester City sit as low as fourth in the Premier League as the campaign approaches Christmas, albeit just four points adrift of leaders Liverpool. The Cityzens set a new standard for themselves in the previous campaign, winning a historic treble and their first-ever Champions League trophy. Given how high those standards were though, they were always likely to slip slightly.

As the January transfer window nears, Pep Guardiola will be keen to see his side return to their ruthless best, using the market to welcome more reinforcements in pursuit of a fourth consecutive Premier League title. Among those reinforcements looks increasingly likely to be one particular left-back for the future.Man City transfer news

As Manchester City lifted the Champions League trophy in Istanbul, having already won the Premier League title and FA Cup, it was difficult to spot a single weakness in Guardiola’s side – they were simply that good. Months later and the departures of Ilkay Gundogan, Aymeric Laporte and even Cole Palmer have brought some issues to light that the Blues could fix in January.The biggest of those problems comes at left-back, with a number of central defenders shoehorned into the role and struggling this season. When the window opens, however, City could welcome a much-needed solution.

According to Football Transfers, Manchester City are likely to sign Valentin Barco, who is reportedly adamant about joining the Premier League champions next month. The 19-year-old reportedly has a release clause of just €10m (£9m), which should make any deal an easy one to negotiate for City, who welcomed the teenager’s representatives to their training ground this week for talks.

All is pointing towards the completion of the deal to see City get one over on rivals Liverpool – The Reds were reportedly also interested in the Boca Juniors man but seem to have lost the race.

The stats show Barco can solve City’s left-back problemCity’s greatest weakness comes at left-back these days. Guardiola has attempted to solve the issue with a number of options, with Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji all earning starts down that side. All three have had their limitations, however, and City could now turn to Barco to become a January solution. Here’s how Barco’s stats compare to the aforementioned City trio.