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Manchester City are interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, per the Daily Mirror.

Pep Guardiola worked with the midfielder during his time at the Allianz Arena and is now lining up a move to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.

What’s the word?

Thiago moved to Bayern in 2013 from Barcelona, costing the Bavarian giants a total of £21.6million.

While working under Guardiola – who left Germany in 2016 – the Spaniard won three Bundesliga titles, as well as two DFB-Pokals, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

And the Mirror claim that the City manager believes Thiago could replace Fernandinho at the base of his midfield; the Brazilian will turn 34 in May.

However, the report also states that City will be forced to smash their current transfer record, which stands at £60m, to secure his signature.

Guardiola is said to be keen to buy a midfielder in the summer and he is also a fan of Saul Niguez, the Atletico Madrid midfielder, but he is on a nine-year contract and only two have elapsed.

An abandonment of youth

Guardiola has the biggest cheque book in English football and is clearly ready to splash the cash yet again.

Signing Riyad Mahrez for £60m last summer broke the club’s transfer record but he has completed the 90 minutes in the Premier League just four times this season.

Breezing past that record again this summer would not be a surprise but it is almost like City do not have a youth academy.

One has to imagine that there is a defensive-minded midfielder in there, with the ability to sit under the Guardiola learning tree and grow as a player in the coming seasons.

Instead, money will be spent, and a marquee midfielder will likely arrive at the Etihad, be it Thiago or not.

City will surely reap the rewards but one wonders why a young player would ever see a move to the club as an attractive proposition if only an exceptionally rare few ever get a chance in the first team.