Manchester City are eyeing up a hot prospect from the Brazilian League, 17-year-old Lucas Halter, in a bid to bolster City's options on the back-line.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola has bought four Brazilian players in his managerial career, all of which were bought from the Campeonato Brasileiro: Henrique, Keirrison, Douglas Luiz and Gabriel Jesus.
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Jesus came at a hefty price of £27 million plus add-ons from Palmeiras but there's no denying that he's repaid of that amount ten-fold, impressively scoring 22 goals in 49 games for the Citizens so far, in a period across two seasons.
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Halter, another young Brazilian, is regarded as one of the most highly-sought after players in Brazil and was recently selected as part of the country's Under-20s team.
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Halter, who plays for Atletico Paranaense, stands at 6'2 foot, and is a ball-playing centre-back who has good aerial ability.
He reportedly is in Guardiola's plans, but the Catalan boss will have to fight off Atletico Madrid and AS Roma who also have an interest in the centre-back.
The transfer could be a sign of things to come for England international John Stones with the 23-year-old going down the pecking because of injuries and the arrival of French defender Aymeric Laporte.
But recent reports suggest that Stones is still in Guardiola's plans going forward and is happy with the progression that the former Everton players has made at the Etihad.
The signing of Halter, however, would be a sign of Guardiola's intent as City boss, the length of time he wishes to remain at the club and the extent of the project which he sees in the north-west side.
Guardiola, who is in his second season with the Blues, has managed Barcelona and Bayern Munich before his arrival in Manchester, but has never stayed at a top-level side for more than four years in charge.
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