Man City and Barcelona battling to snap up Dortmund talent

Manchester City and Barcelona won’t meet in the Champions League until at least February, but the clubs could be set for a battle before then. That’s because both parties are reportedly lining up a January swoop for Borussia Dortmund ace Julian Weigl.

As it stands, the Citizens are favourites to be the 22-year-old’s next club, at odds of 3/1. However, our traders believe it’s a close-run thing, with Barca 7/2 to secure the defensive midfielder’s services.

So, what’s made Weigl so sought-after? And what could he bring to two sides who already boast plenty of quality?

Weigl began his career with 1860 Munich, making his debut for the first team in 2013. Having impressed greatly with Die Lowen over two seasons, the Bavaria native joined BVB in 2015.

An extremely reliable performer for Dortmund, the holding midfielder has proved himself a tough competitor and classy ball player with an outstanding reading of the game.

The youngster also has plenty of big game experience under his belt already. Among his 99 outings for Die Schwarzgelben have been a DFB Pokal Final and a UCL Quarter-Final. He’s also picked up five German caps since the start of 2016.

For the Citizens, he’d offer valuable competition for the excellent Fernandinho. The Brazilian has been excellent this term, but he’s the only natural holding midfielder on their books.

And with the current Sky Blues man now 32-years-old, this could be the ideal time to bring in a long-term successor.

As for Blaugrana, they’re also short on alternatives for Sergio Busquets in that position. Weigl’s pace and athleticism would also make him an upgrade on the Spaniard, in a number of ways.

Don’t be surprised if these sides enter a bidding war over the player in the coming months.

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