The summer transfer window usually brings us quite a few transfer rumors that seem a bit far-fetched, but when those involved in the rumor add fuel to the fire by having lunch together, then the chances to make a once "far-fetched deal" grow.
Such is the case of what happened after the meeting between Pep Guardiola and Barcelona president, Joan Laporta. The reason for the meeting, apart from having lunch together during Guardiola's holidays in Mallorca, was to discuss a potential deal involving players from Manchester City and Los Blaugranas.
The meeting, according to Catalan radio station RAC1, also included Barcelona's vice president Mateu Alemany, who reportedly asked Guardiola about any chances to swap some players. The radio station suggests that Guardiola brought up two names to the table, while also including various of his pupils at Manchester City to be part of the deal.
The names brought up by Guardiola are those of Sergi Roberto and Ousmané Dembelé. The home grown footballer has been slammed all season long for his poor form and defensive mistakes, and Barcelona are said to be looking to let him go this summer. Such a deal would see Roberto reuniting with Pep Guardiola after the former Barcelona boss played a key role in his debut.
As for Dembelé, the Blaugrana side has reportedly told the player he is part of Ronald Koeman's plans, but if an offer that met their demands came along, they would consider it.
The contracts for both Dembelé and Roberto with Los Culés are set to end next season, which means that the club needs to sell both of them to get a profit, otherwise they could risk watching them leave on a free transfer next summer.
With that in mind, Guardiola may use this chance to get rid of some of the players that are surplus to his team's requirements and add some that may come in handy to his needs with the Citizens. The first two names offered by Guardiola were those of Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo. Later, when the subject of Dembelé's deal was being discussed, the names of Aymeric Laporte and even winger Raheem Sterling were thrown into the mix. Details about a cash-plus-player deal or just a player swap were not revealed by RAC1.
With the summer transfer window having barely begun, the possibility of watching these deals come to fruition will only depend on the willingness of the parties to make them happen. The first steps have been taken, but we will have to wait and see which of these moves end up being more appealing to either Los Culés or the Citizens.
