Manchester City face losing another one of their starlets to European rival once again with Real Madrid interested in signing 19-year-old Brahim Diaz’s when his contract runs out this summer, according to The Sun.
The Galacticos are looking to seal a deal for Spanish midfielder in January when they will be free to discuss contractual terms with Diaz.
Diaz, 19, moved to Manchester City at the age of 16 for a fee of £200,000 from his hometown club Málaga, but has only made five senior competitive appearances since then.
The Spaniard currently seems reluctant to sign a new deal with Manchester City in spite of Guardiola’s admiration of him. The City manager recently stated in an interview with Sky Sports that the club would do “absolutely everything” to extend the ex-Malaga player’s contract at City but admitted that it was ‘”in his hands”.
This is without a doubt a case of déjà vu for Guardiola who experienced a very similar situation with England’s Jadon Sancho. Guardiola has repeatedly said that he did not want to lose Sancho, but the Spanish mastermind was unable to keep him in Manchester, with the promise of more first-team opportunities at Borussia Dortmund too great a temptation for the youngster who has been compared to Lionel Messi.
It is hard to say whether Brahim Diaz’s reluctance to sign a new contract has been influenced by Sancho’s form at Borussia Dortmund, but he will no doubt be aware of his ex-teammates rise to stardom since leaving the Citizens.
It is reported that Diaz’s family would prefer him to move back to Spain and a move to Real Madrid would no doubt match his own footballing ambitions and the wants of his family. Whilst the future of the young maestro is yet to be confirmed, there will no doubt be a footballing tug of war for his signature come the January transfer window.
