Manchester City face battle with Barcelona to sign Pep Guardiola's former player: Reports

Manchester City are reportedly set to battle it out with Barcelona in their pursuit of Bayern Munich superstar Joshua Kimmich this summer.

Kimmich, 29, has emerged as a hot topic of transfer speculation as his contract is set to expire in June 2025. Although he is likely to hold talks to extend his deal at the Bavarians, he is allegedly assessing alternative options ahead of the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Now, according to HITC, Manchester City have entered the race to lure Kimmich away from the Allianz Arena outfit in the summer transfer window. Guardiola, who sanctioned the player's signing from VfB Stuttgart in 2015, is believed to be a big fan of the German.

However, Manchester City are likely to face tough competition from Barcelona as new Blaugrana boss Hansi Flick is also keen to reunite with Kimmich. Guardiola's side could outbid the La Liga giants, who are currently in financial turmoil, to sign the ex-RB Leipzig star.

Should Kimmich secure a permanent move to Manchester City, he would emerge as a crucial first-team starter. He would start alongside Rodri in a midfield double-pivot, pushing the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes further down the club's pecking order.

Kimmich, who is adept at operating as both a holding midfielder and a right-back, reportedly grew unsettled under ex-Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel. But, with Tuchel gone, the 84-cap Germany international could even opt to remain at his club this summer.

So far, the Manchester City and Barcelona target has helped Bayern Munich win 20 trophies, including eight Bundesliga titles. He has registered 42 goals and 104 assists in 390 overall matches for his team.

Barcelona star to begin anew, says agent

Speaking recently to Radio Marca, agent Andre Cury asserted that his client Vitor Roque will restart his Barcelona stint under new manager Hansi Flick. He said (h/t Barca Universal):

"Vitor Roque expected more minutes under Xavi [Hernandez]. Now, with the new coach, he is starting from scratch. In front of him, he has a world-class player like [Robert] Lewandowski. [Vinicius Junior], for example, took two years to adapt [to the La Liga]."

Roque, 19, failed to make an instant impact after joining the Blaugrana for an initial €40 million earlier this January. He scored just two goals in 353 minutes of action, spread across 16 overall games this season.

Prior to moving to Barcelona, the Brazilian contributed 28 goals and 11 assists in 81 outings across all competitions for Athletico Paranaense.