After being linked with Djibril Sidibé, Benjamin Mendy and Faouzi Ghoulam (among others), there’s a new full-back on Pep Guardiola’s hypothetical transfer list for the upcoming transfer window.
According to Plaza Deportiva in Spain, Manchester City’s manager is very, very interested in Valencia’s José Luis Gayà, deciding the young defender is now ready to make the leap to the Premier League.
Guardiola is said to be preparing a complete overhaul of his defence, including the left-back position, and has targeted the 21-year-old, having followed his progress at Valencia, a club he tracks carefully after buying Juan Bernat from there with Bayern Munich.
Gayà is said to be ideal for the style of football the Spaniard is trying to implement at the Etihad, hence the interest.
Plaza seem to think the two main targets for the role are the Valencia man alongside Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy, who missed out on the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday against Juventus.
However, Manchester City aren’t the only ones interested, with Arsenal also looking to rejuvenate the position at the Emirates.
The Gunners have followed Gayà’s evolution at Valencia ever since he was in the club’s youth team, and Plaza report the London club are prepared to make an important offer for the defender in order to ensure he joins them next season.
Back in early March, the Valencia left-back discussed the rumours sending him to Arsenal, telling Cadena Ser: “I really don’t know. I was never told anything about Arsenal being interested. I read about it, but no one told me about it. Like I said, I feel good here, and I’m happy.”
