Manchester City are moving quickly after deciding to abandon a deal for Florian Wirtz.
The primary task for Hugo Viana – Director of Football at the Etihad Stadium – right now is to find a new source of creativity for Pep Guardiola in midfield, as Kevin De Bruyne prepares to leave.
Manchester City have opened talks to sign Rayan Cherki – who is available for around £25m due to a release clause – which would be a good start, seeing as the Frenchman notched 20 assists this season.
However, should these discussions collapse, Manchester City are also considering a swoop to sign Alex Baena.
Alex Baena also on the shortlist for Manchester City
Dean Jones has revealed on Patreon that the Villarreal No.16 is admired by the Citizens.
The respected journalist said: “You may have seen reports linking Man City to Rayan Cherki. I mentioned him last week in a piece about how City might pivot from not going after Florian Wirtz. They’ve got a list of creative names under consideration – Cherki, Alex Baena and Eberechi Eze among them.”
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Should Viana move away from the Lyon No.18 and pursue the Spain international instead, it would be an equally exciting move.
Baena – who has a £50m release clause – scored seven goals and provided ten assists across 32 appearances in La Liga for Villarreal this season, with Football Talent Scout also likening him to Philippe Coutinho as a result of his sharp technical ability and dribbling skills.
TALENT OF THE DAY
Álex Baena
Age: 21
Country: 🇪🇸
Club: Villarreal
Position: AM/LW/RW
Player role: offensive allrounder
Strengths: pace, dribbling, passing, vision, technique, agility, flair, first touch
Foot: right
Similar type of player: Philippe Coutinho
Potential: 9/10
— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) September 29, 2022
Alex Baena has already suggested he would leave Villarreal for Manchester City
The 23-year-old is a Villarreal academy graduate and understandably loves the club, admitting he would only consider leaving for a truly elite football club, which Manchester City most certainly are.
Touch. Bang! 💥
What a goal from Villarreal's Álex Baena!! 💛#UECL pic.twitter.com/mkeeCfZ7sO
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 6, 2022
Baena told Onda Cero in December: “What I am focused on is finishing the season at Villarreal and staying here, because that’s where I’m happiest.
“I’m thinking about what I have to do now. I’ve always said that, to leave Villarreal, it has to be a better team, and, for me, that has to be a top ten team in the world.
“Villarreal is the club of my life and, if one day that offer comes, we’ll sit down and talk and see what’s best for both of us.”
Therefore, if talks to sign Cherki collapse, Baena seems to be an obtainable target, although he would obviously cost considerably more than the Frenchman.