Man City favourites to make January signing of Barnsley prodigy

Manchester City can already count one product of the Barnsley youth system in their backline in the form of John Stones, and they could be set to add another of Oakwell’s defensive dynamos this month – in the form of right-back James Bree.

The 19-year-old has already racked up 58 appearances for the Tykes, establishing himself as one of the club’s most important and consistent performers as they’ve adapted to life back in the Championship.

Confident on the ball, energetic and with top-notch distribution which has seen him chalk up six assists and counting for the South Yorkshire club.

Those displays have unsurprisingly alerted a number of high-profile clubs, with Manchester City now favourites for his signature at 11/4 to snap him up during this transfer window.

Championship Aston Villa are next up at 7/2, with the Citizens’ local rivals Manchester United at 6/1 to bring in the talented teen – though that price could shrink if they sell Matteo Darmian in the coming days.

And while Barnsley would surely be cheesed off to lose Bree this month, their record with and without the youngster shows the huge impact he’s already had in the second tier.

With the Wakefield native in the team, they’ve taken 28 points from 17 Championship outings (1.64 per game). In the games he’s missed, they managed just 10 points from eight in the league (1.25). Quite an impact for a player who doesn’t turn 20 until December.

Next up for Man City is a visit to Everton on Sunday, with 5/6 for Pep Guardiola’s men to return home with all three points.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing