Manchester City have made contact with Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets after the Spanish midfielder said he would welcome a reunion with Pep Guardiola.
Reports in Spain suggest that City have enquired about Busquets ahead of Guardiola’s arrival as manager in the summer.
The Spain international has admitted that the 45-year-old coach, who will replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium in the summer, is one of only two people who could tempt him to leave the Nou Camp.
Guardiola helped launch the career of Busquets in 2008 after the 27-year-old moved from Barcelona B to the first team.
He won an array of trophies under the stewardship of Guardiola, including two Champions League crowns and three La Liga titles. He added two more league championship wins and a third European Cup after Guardiola’s departure in 2012. Of Busquets’ 21 major trophies, 14 were won under Guardiola’s guidance.
Busquets, who is contracted to Barcelona until the summer of 2019, said it would be a privilege to work with Guardiola again.
‘I have always said there are just two persons who could make me change my decision to stay at Barcelona,’ Busquets told ESPN recently.
‘One of those two persons is my wife. And she is happy here right now, so I don’t think there will be any issues on a personal level.
‘On a sporting level, that other person is Guardiola. It’s clear that I owe Pep a lot and I would be honoured to work with him again.
‘But he knows that Barcelona are my club and it’s his club as well. He knows it’s best for the club and for me to stay here and I don’t think he will ask me to leave Barcelona [for Manchester].
‘I hope that when I end my career, I go down in history as a great team player, who won titles and excelled. I want to become one of the players with the most games for Barcelona.’
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