Manchester City might reportedly look to pursue 20-year-old Lyon winger Bradley Barcola when Riyad Mahrez leaves this summer.
According to a report by 90min, Bradley Barcola is the subject of interest from Manchester City. The Premier League champions view the 20-year-old Lyon winger as a possible replacement for Riyad Mahrez. And they will compete with Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig for his signature.
Bradley Barcola has been a part of the Olympique Lyonnais ethos for over a decade. Apart from his first two years at the youth level with AS Buers-Villeurbanne, Lyon is all he has known in the footballing world. And the French youth international has come leaps and bounds at the club in the last 13 years.
After rising through the ranks at the French club, the 20-year-old made his debut in November 2021. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength and was a regular for Lyon last season. Barcola has made nearly 50 appearances thus far for Les Gones, chipping in with seven goals and 12 assists. And the youngster’s progress has captured the attention of Manchester City.
Manchester City might have won the treble in the 2022/23 season. But a cycle is partially ending at the Etihad, with several players closing in on the end of the line at the club. While Ilkay Gundogan has already left Manchester City to join Barcelona, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva might soon follow suit.
Mahrez, in particular, is set to leave Manchester City, with a move to Saudi Arabia on the horizon. And if Bernardo Silva also departs from the Etihad, the Premier League champions will need a solid right-winger. Several players, including Raphinha, have thus emerged on Manchester City’s radar.
But Barcelona will unlikely sell the Brazilian international, who does not want to leave either. So Bradley Barcola has emerged as a viable candidate to replace Mahrez at Manchester City. And the Citizens’ scouts have produced a glowing report of the 20-year-old French youth international.
But Manchester City will face stiff competition from Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. The two clubs have already submitted enquiries for the youngster. So it will be interesting to see if Manchester City can replace Mahrez with Barcola by usurping PSG and RB Leipzig.