Manchester City are reportedly confident of beating Brighton & Hove Albion and Juventus in the race to sign Boca Juniors left-back Valentin Barco in January.
The 19-year-old has caught the eye of a number of European clubs since breaking into the Boca Juniors senior side earlier this year.
Barco has made 18 appearances for the Argentine giants across all competitions in 2023, including 11 league starts and six outings in the Copa Libertadores.
The versatile wideman, who can operate as a left-back or left-winger, scored his first senior goal in a Copa Libertadores group-stage win over Monagas SC, and Boca Juniors have since progressed to the semi-finals where they will face Palmeiras.
Barco will see his current contract at Boca Juniors expire in December 2024, and his deal is understood to include a release clause in the region of £8m.
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Earlier this summer, Brighton appeared to be leading the race for Barco's signature, while Juventus also held a strong interest in the Argentina Under-20 international.
Towards the end of the transfer window, Man City were said to have made a 'tempting offer' for Barco that exceeded a bid made by Brighton, but a summer move ultimately failed to materialise.
Nevertheless, the Daily Star reports that the Citizens are confident that they will fend off competition from both Brighton and Juve to complete the signing of Barco in January.
The report adds that Man City are prepared to activate Barco's release clause, with City Football Group director Joan Patsy tasked with striking a deal with Boca Juniors.
Patsy, who is said to have a close working relationship with manager Pep Guardiola, is a South American-based chief who was a key figure behind City's signings of Gabriel Jesus – now at Arsenal – and Julian Alvarez.
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It remains to be seen whether Man City will intend to immediately integrate Barco into Guardiola's senior squad should he arrive in January, or look to secure a loan move for the youngster.
The Citizens have built a reputation of recruiting South American players, particularly Argentinians, over the years, with the likes of Alvarez, Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta, Carlos Tevez and Nicolas Otamendi among those to represent the senior team.
Alvarez enjoyed a successful treble-winning first season with City in 2022-23 after joining from River Plate in January 2022, while Maximo Perrone signed for Guardiola's side in January this year from Velez Sarsfield and has since joined Las Palmas on a season-long loan deal.
The potential arrival of Barco at the Etihad Stadium could cast doubts over the future of fellow versatile left-flanker Sergio Gomez, who is currently viewed as a peripheral figure in Guardiola's first-team squad.
Oliver Thomas
