Guardiola Reportedly Blocks Manchester City Player’s Transfer To FC Barcelona

Pep Guardiola blocked one of his Manchester City players moving to FC Barcelona, according to SPORT.

The Catalans and Mancunians have been business partners in recent transfer windows, with Barca paying €55 million ($60.5 million) for Ferran Torres in January 2022.

The Blaugrana were also keen on signing Bernardo Silva last summer. Yet amid their financial difficulties, they failed to raise the €80-100 million ($88-110 million) required to land the Portuguese midfielder after Frenkie de Jong refused to join City’s crosstown rivals Manchester United.

City have an internal policy of not standing in the way of players that wish to leave, but even after his well-documented falling out with Silva’s compatriot, Guardiola prevented Joao Cancelo from heading to Camp Nou on loan according to SPORT.

Barca are reported by the daily newspaper as still being interested in the right back, who is now at Bayern Munich temporarily, because of a shortage of staff in his position.

Center back Jules Kounde currently fills in there, and Sergi Roberto is one of the few other options often deployed in midfield when the likes of Pedri, Sergio Busquets, and Frenkie de Jong are injured.

Yet any pursuit for Cancelo might be called off thanks to Guardiola’s reluctance, which is odd given his history as a member of the La Masia academy who became a key feature of Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team and then arguably the club’s greatest ever manager who oversaw their most successful era with stars such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and current head coach Xavi Hernandez leading the way.

SPORT reports that Guardiola also blocked Raheem Sterling from going to Barca in the same window that Torres switched allegiances, which ties into a common belief that if “Pep is selling, don’t buy”.

Guardiola would later let Sterling leave for Chelsea ahead of the 2022/2023 season, with the England international’s struggle for form at Stamford Bridge suggesting the tactician knew what he was doing in finally given his exit the green light. Similar things can be said about Torres, who has fallen way down the pecking order under Xavi.

He is of course powerless to stop Ilkay Gundogan rocking up at Barca on a free transfer ahead of next term, with the German looking likely to join on a two-year deal with an optional, additional year.

Almost a fortnight ago, SPORT reported that the 32-year-old has already agreed terms with his likely new employers.