Pere Guardiola helped Man City beat Barca to player’s signing, even though ‘papers were signed’

If multiple reports coming out of Spain are to be believed, Real Madrid are set to sign Manchester City’s Brahim Diaz.

The attacking midfielder’s current deal at the Etihad will expire after this season and the only thing that isn’t clear is whether the 19-year-old will join Los Blancos in January or next summer.

Journalist Miguel Rico, writing for today’s edition of Mundo Deportivo, explains how close Barcelona came to signing the teenager a few years ago.

The Premier League winners signed Diaz for their academy from Malaga in 2013.

When he was 14, the Blaugrana were close to adding him to La Masia and even the ‘papers were signed’ to include the current City player into their youth system.

Diaz is managed by Pere Guardiola, brother of the English club’s manager, Pep and the former’s role saw Barca lose the young talent to Manchester City.

Rico also goes on to mention the La Liga winners are now no longer interested in the player, which seems the result of a little bitterness from the failed move.