Manchester City manager Guardiola closely following 17-year-old Barcelona whizkid

After Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, and Marc Guiu, another Barcelona youth team gem could be poised for a breakthrough campaign in the form of Pau Cubarsi.

The La Masia defender, who turned 17 on Monday, made his first-team debut for the Catalans last week in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 clash against Unionistas de Salamanca, replacing Andreas Christensen at half-time.

This past weekend, Cubarsi made his La Liga debut, starting against Real Betis and putting in a rock-solid display for the 80+ minutes he was on the field.

Manchester City tracking Pau Cubarsi

It is no secret that Pau Cubarsi is rated very highly within Barcelona. But, as it so happens, a former Barça player, manager, and legend, Pep Guardiola also happens to be a huge admirer of the 17-year-old centre-back.

Indeed, as reported by AS, the Manchester City manager has been closely following the development of the teenage La Masia ace and has thought about making a move for his signing, even though he is internally conflicted about it due to his past allegiance to Barça.

The report further adds that Barcelona are more or less aware of the situation which is why they were quick to renew Cubarsi’s contract in the summer, tying him down to the club until 2026.

Pep Guardiola is an admirer of Pau Cubarsi. (Photo by RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Barcelona president Joan Laporta does not want a repeat of the episodes of the likes of Gerard Pique, Cesc Fabregas, and Eric Garcia, and is eager to ensure Cubarsi stays put at the club.

Cubarsi idolises Carles Puyol

The report from AS further states that Cubarsi is someone who idolises former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol.

Within the club, they describe him as a mixture of Pique and Puyol, in the sense that he is an aggressive defender who also possesses exceptional ball-playing abilities, some of which were on display against Real Betis.

On his recent breakthrough into first-team setup, Cubarsi said: “I’m very happy, I’m having one of the best weeks, if not the best, of my life. It’s all been very close together.”

Speaking about his goals, Cubarsi added: “Continue like this, having opportunities because I will fight them all, move forward. It is important to always keep your feet on the ground. My family helps me a lot in this regard.”