Manchester City open talks over deal for Chelsea striker with contract expiring at the end of the season

Manchester City are looking to raid Premier League rivals Chelsea for one of their prized academy assets, a new report has detailed.

The operation at the City Football Academy works way beyond the club's world-renowned first-team set-up.

While recruitment for Pep Guardiola's first-team squad is often the most well-documented in mainstream media, the work on preparing the club for decades of success is ongoing, and somewhat in the background.

The City Football Group project is arguably very complex, but enables Manchester City to source talent from all corners of the globe.

Their focus on South America in recent seasons has garnered huge success in particular, with the likes of Julian Alvarez, Gabriel Jesus, and Yan Couto all completing moves from the continent.

However, scouting much closer to home has also proven to be successful, and that has taken them towards Chelsea in the latest reported academy-related mission.

According to the information of the Evening Standard's Nizaar Kinsella, Manchester City have opened talks with Chelsea academy striker, Jude Soonsup-Bell.

Interest from the Premier League champions is likely to have come about due to the 18 year-old's current contract situation with the Stamford Bridge club.

As highlighted by the report, the teenager's current deal expires at the end of the ongoing season.

However, given the high regard in which the London club's academy is held, City are unlikely to have a totally free run at the player.

Kinsella reports that alongside Etihad officials, 'many' English and European clubs are also looking at the forward, who made his senior debut against Brentford in the Carabao Cup last season.

The most recent summer transfer window also saw plenty of change on the academy front at Manchester City.

While a number of players completed moves in the direction of the country's best system for promising young talents, some of the more senior academy players opted for moves away from the club.

Southampton were one team to focus large amounts of their transfer strategy on Manchester City's best young talents.

The likes of Romeo Lavia, Juan Larios, and Samuel Edozie all moved from the Etihad Stadium's under-21 side to the south coast club in search of more regular first-team minutes.

It is such moves that prove to be a testament to the great work that City officials have put in over the past few seasons in sounding out the brightest young footballers.