What’s the story?
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, is keen on reuniting with Bayern Munich and Spain international Juan Bernat. The 23-year-old signed for the Bavarian giants from Valencia under Guardiola’s tutelage and is now a wanted man given the latter’s struggles in the Premier League.
Bernat was used by the Catalan manager as a left-back as well as a left-sided midfielder during his time at Bayern Munich. But the Spaniard’s obvious strength is his knowledge while defending and he could be used as the former of the two should he sign for the Citizens. Any move for him, however, will only be in the summer.
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David Alaba has been preferred to Bernat for Bayern Munich this season. The former Valencia man has only been able to start four games this season while the Austrian has started fourteen.
This inability to make it into the starting eleven could prompt Bernat to push for a move to Guardiola’s side in the summer. Under the Catalan manager, Bernat started a whopping 86 games in three seasons for Bayern Munich – which gave him the opportunity to represent his country seven times.
The heart of the matter
With Bernat’s contract running out at the end of the 2018/19 season, Manchester City would be in for a cut-price deal should they pursue their interest. Currently valued at €18 million in the market, the Spaniard will be an upgrade to any of the existing full-backs in the City lineup.
Also read: Carlo Ancelotti wants Marco Verratti to replace Xabi Alonso at Bayern Munich
Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Aleksandar Kolarov have all proven to be insufficient for Pep Guardiola this season. None of them has the passing range or the technical ability to satisfy the Catalan’s thirst for ‘total football’.
What’s next?
Given Pep Guardiola pursued Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin with a lot of intent, the link with Bernat comes as no surprise. He needs to improve the side and should he plan on sticking with the way he likes his teams to play football, a move for Bernat could very well go a long way in determining his success in the Premier League.
Sportskeeda’s Take
With Carlo Ancelotti being impressed with the way David Alaba has played this season, it’s likely he’ll be able to part ways with Bernat, but he will only sanction the move if the club is able to find a backup.
Manchester City need some young blood at the back and Bernat seems the perfect first-piece.
