Reports: Manchester City linked with sensational move for Barcelona superstar

What’s the story?

Barcelona still haven't recovered from the blow of losing one of their prized assets in Neymar and it seems the Catalan giants are set for yet another huge blow. According to radio station Onda Cero (h/t Goal France), Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is interested in a reunion with former favourite Sergio Busquets.

Manchester City have splurged a lot of money already in the transfer window and it appears they don't plan to stop anytime soon. The Etihad outfit are in the midst of a squad overhaul of sorts and have witnessed huge change in personnel and Busquets appears to be the latest one to be in Guardiola's radar.

In case you didn’t know…

Busquets is a product of Barcelona's fabled La Masia and was handed his first team debut under Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The 29-year-old has established himself as one of the finest defensive midfielders of his time but the Spaniard's powers have been on the wane recently as he struggled last season for the Catalan outfit.

The Etihad outfit, on the other hand, have secured signings of 5 first team players for sums in the region of £200 million. A deal for Busquets would dent Manchester City finances further but it could prove to be a game-changing signing especially considering the chemistry that Guardiola has with former student.

The heart of the matter

Despite their lavish spending, Manchester City are still light in midfield and defence, and Busquets' arrival helps address the two issues at once. The Barcelona man has played previously in defence for Barcelona and is, as is well known, a defensive mastermind in midfield.

However, the 29-year-old has struggled in a Barcelona team which no longer believes in tiki-taka and this was evident in his performances last season. The Spaniard could be willing to have a reunion with Guardiola in Manchester but first the Catalan outfit will have to agree to let one of their best players departure, especially in light of Neymar's sale.

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Author's Take

Despite having a wealth of resources at his disposal, Pep Guardiola finds himself slightly light in the defensive midfield department with Yaya Toure and Fernandinho his only two options, following the departure of Fernando.

It makes sense that the Spaniard is interested in a reunion with the Barcelona midfielder and one that could benefit all the parties. Busquets has struggled since they shunned tiki-taka as their style of football, if Valverde does not plan to bring back tiki-taka to Camp Nou, he can afford to lose the Spaniard and instead replace him with a destroyer, one which will help the present Barcelona team and style.

We will have to wait and watch how this one pans out.