Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is reportedly tracking the progress of 17-year-old Barcelona defensive sensation Pau Cubarsi.
According to a report by Spanish outlet AS, Pau Cubarsi is the subject of interest from Manchester City. Pep Guardiola is closely monitoring the progress of the 17-year-old defender, who recently made his first-team debut for Barcelona.
Who is Pau Cubarsi?
Pau Cubarsi is a native of Estanyol in the Girona region of Catalonia. He started his youth career at FC Vilablareix before representing Girona FC for four years. But the Spanish youth international rose to prominence after joining Barcelona in July 2018.
The 17-year-old has rapidly risen through the ranks at the Catalan club, representing teams at a higher level than his age group. He has turned out for Barcelona’s under-19 team, reserve side and the first-team squad this term. And Cubarsi made his senior bow this past weekend as Barcelona beat Real Betis 4-2 at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.
With Andreas Christensen and Inigo Martinez unavailable, Xavi Hernandez had to dig deep for a central defensive solution. Pau Cubarsi thrived, making a big impact on his first-team debut for Barcelona. Meanwhile, the youngster’s progress has not gone unnoticed, capturing the attention of Premier League bigwigs like Chelsea and Manchester City.
Alerting the Premier League Champions
Manchester City initially hardly handed out debuts and regular game time to young prospects. But Phil Foden has turned the tide, showing that Pep Guardiola is open to utilising players he rates highly. Eric Garcia, Oscar Bobb, and Rico Henry have also benefitted from Guardiola’s tendency to hand out minutes to youngsters.
Meanwhile, the Premier League champions are regular customers of Barcelona’s youth market, with Eric Garcia being the foremost example. Pau Cubarsi might be the next in line, with Pep Guardiola and Manchester City closely monitoring his progress at FC Barcelona. The Spanish youth international’s exploits against Real Betis might have impressed them more.
Manchester City’s next wave of signings might be youth-centric, with recent reports linking them with Savinho, Evan Ferguson, and Florian Wirtz. It will be interesting to see if the 17-year-old Barcelona wonderkid is also in line to move to the Etihad in the coming months.
