Pep Guardiola tells Joan Laporta that Manchester City will pay the January release clause for one of Flick’s top transfer targets

Manchester City is currently facing a severe and concerning crisis, something Pep Guardiola has never encountered before. The team has suffered several painful defeats, including losses to lower-ranked teams like Brighton and Bournemouth, which has left a negative impact and increased the urgency for new signings in the upcoming winter transfer window.

According to Spanish newspaper El Nacional, one of Manchester City’s main priorities is to sign a new midfielder to cover the long-term absence of Rodrigo Hernandez, who is out for the remainder of the season due to injury.

The club’s preferred choice is Martin Zubimendi, the Real Sociedad player they had shown interest in previously but never made an official offer. Though Zubimendi had been close to joining Premier League clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool, he chose to stay at Real Sociedad. However, given the disappointing results his team has faced, Zubimendi is now willing to leave Anoeta for a new challenge, particularly one that could take him to Manchester City. The move would offer him a prominent role in the team, a high salary, and the chance to compete in the Champions League and for major titles.

Zubimendi’s release clause is set at 60 million euros, a sum that Manchester City is willing to pay to secure his services. At the same time, Barcelona is aware that Zubimendi is likely to join Manchester City, effectively ruling out their chances of signing him for the time being.