Real Betis’ Natan has emerged as a new target for Manchester City ahead of the winter market and Enzo Maresca is leading the Premier League side’s pursuit.
The centre-back initially joined the La Liga side on loan from Napoli in 2024 and made his stay permanent the following year.
His performances have caught the attention of Manchester City mainly because of their manager.
Last season, Natan played 3,755 minutes from 45 matches and made it to Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti’s pre-list for the World Cup. However, the defender didn’t make the final cut and is yet to make his national team debut.
Manchester City latest PL side to show interest
In July, we relayed news of Leeds United making a fresh approach after Real Betis turned down their €27m bid. Brentford had also shown interest in the defender.
A month later, Sport Witness covered a report from Spain explaining that Fulham tabled a bid. None of these clubs were able to take Natan away from the Andalusian club in the summer window.
The Brazilian has played 781 minutes from nine matches this season. His displays aren’t going unnoticed. Manchester City now join his suitors list and Fichero have a report about them, with ‘Transfer Bombshell’ in their title.
Enzo Maresca has closely followed the defender from his time at Chelsea. He watched him up close in the Blues’ 4-1 win over Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final in May 2025.
| Every Manchester City signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Enzo Fernández | Chelsea | £125m |
| Elliot Anderson | Nottingham Forest | £116m |
| Ayyoub Bouaddi | Lille | £81.4m |
| Iliman Ndiaye | Everton | £65m |
| Allan | Palmeiras | £32m |
| Mathys Detourbet | Troyes | £21.7m |
| Jeremy Monga | Leicester City | £10m |
| Pierce Charles | Sheffield Wednesday | £3m |
| Geronimo Rulli | Marseille | £1.7m |
What City need to do
The Citizens manager is still keen and wants to bring Natan to the Etihad. In fact, he has formally requested the Premier League side sign him in January.
Enzo Maresca has Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis as the four centre-backs. Joško Gvardiol can also operate in the heart of the defence.
Even if they do sign him, the English club have to convince the South American. He appreciates the Premier League interest, but his desire is to join Barcelona. They had explored a deal in the summer, without making further advances or tabling an offer.
Real Betis invested €9m to buy the player and have set a €40m price to sell. This won’t be an issue for Manchester City, who have to first change Natan’s mind to make progress.
