Barcelona are reportedly planning a stunning raid on Manchester City involving two key first-team players and head coach Pep Guardiola, who coached the Catalan giants between 2008 and 2012.
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Amid the accusations of financial breaches levelled against the Premier League champions, the Blaugrana appear to be seeking to take advantage of the vulnerable moment City have found themselves in.
Last week, the Premier League announced that the Citizens had breached 115 of their financial fair play rules, with rumours suggesting they could face harsh punishment if an independent commission finds the club guilty.
It is said that City could be deducted points or be booted from the English top flight, while it is also possible that they will be stripped of the titles they won between the 2008/09 and 2017/18 campaigns.
According to Spanish publication Fichajes, Barcelona are paying close to attention to the situation and have their eye on luring midfielder Rodri and striker Julian Alvarez, and potentially even Guardiola, away from the Manchester club.
The tactician has been linked with a return to the LaLiga table-toppers on a number of occasions since departing the Catalan side in 2012, but has often played down the possibility of returning to the Camp Nou dugout.
Guardiola started his managerial career at Barca in 2008 after being given the opportunity to do so by current president Joan Laporta, who was then serving in his first spell as chief, and went on to win an impressive 14 trophies in four years with the team.
Rodri, meanwhile, is considered by many as a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets in the Spanish national team, so could perhaps be thought of as a natural successor to the defensive midfielder at club level too.
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In Alvarez's case, the striker has largely played second fiddle to Erling Haaland in England so far this season, but proved an important player for Argentina as they lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy in December.
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