Manchester City are tracking their loan star Yangel Herrera with a view to bringing him into their first team squad next season.
The 23-year-old is currently at Granada and will face his parent club’s bitter rivals Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Herrera was picked up by the Premier League champions-elect back in 2017 from Atletico Venezuela and has been sent out on loan to New York City FC, SD Huesca and most recently Granada, but is yet to feature under Pep Guardiola.
However, Goal report City could be in for a new defensive midfielder at the end of the season with the future of long time servant Fernandinho yet to be decided. There may not be funds for Guardiola to splash on a new central midfielder due to the coronavirus pandemic, so bringing Herrera into the fold would help the club cut costs.
His two-year loan spell at Granada ends this summer and it’s claimed Premier League clubs Southampton, West Ham and a number of La Liga outfits are interested in securing his services.
The Europa League tie against United represents an opportunity for Herrera to convince his parent club he can be of use to them next season or, failing that, put him in the shop window ahead of the summer.
Herrera previously worked under Premier League legend Patrick Vieira during his time in charge of New York City FC and the Frenchman was full of praise for the midfielder, calling him a ‘tactically intelligent midfielder’ and highlighting his strength in the tackle.
Earlier this week, Man City reported a loss of £126m for the 2019/20 season, making the option of looking within more appealing than a massive spending spree. Failing that, an impressive showing over the two legs could lead to City selling Herrera and adding the funds to their existing transfer budget.
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