Manchester City suffer major transfer blow to Barcelona after surprise contract decision

Manchester City have failed in their attempts to bring teenage Barcelona prodigy Guille Fernandez to the City Football Academy this summer.

Pep Guardiola’s side are due to face Barcelona in a pre-season friendly in Orlando on Tuesday, as Manchester City play the third match of their four-match tour of the United States in preparation for the start of the new campaign next month.

The Sky Blues will face the La Liga giants at the Camping World Stadium in Florida, prior to Manchester City concluding their pre-season tour with a clash against Chelsea at the Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester City have suffered losses to both Celtic and AC Milan in their opening two friendly fixtures, with Guardiola’s squad including a handful of first-team stars alongside a strong cohort from the City Football Academy.

The CFA have announced a series of managerial changes this summer, and are also looking to sign more upcoming talent during the transfer window, following the recent addition of 15-year-old Timeo Whisker and an agreement to sign American prodigy Cavan Sullivan.

Manchester City have added some of Europe’s most high-profile young talent to the CFA in recent years, but have missed out on signing one of Barcelona’s biggest prospects this summer – the latest setback in the Blues’ pursuit of players from La Masia.

Toni Juanmarti reports that 16-year-old midfielder Guille Fernandez has rejected interest from Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in favour of signing a new three-year deal with Barcelona.

The teenager, who is represented by Jorge Mendes, reportedly rejected a transfer proposal from Manchester City, despite the offer of more money to switch to east Manchester.

The midfielder has been training with the Barcelona first-team during pre-season, and broke a record set by Yamine Lamal after making his Barca Atletic debut at only 15 years, nine months and 13 days.

Fernandez made seven appearances for the Barcelona B team during the 2023/24 campaign, and also made three appearances for the Under-19 Barcelona team in the UEFA Youth League.