Man City have been watching ‘sensational’ £51m player in action

Manchester City have reportedly been watching Villarreal winger Alex Baena for the past 12 months.

The previous summer transfer window saw the Manchester club show that they aren’t shy when it comes to spending big amounts of money on signing players from other European sides.

Now though, some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding one specific player the Citizens have had their eyes on.

City have their eyes on Baena

According to a recent report from 90 Min, City, as well as fellow Premier League clubs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa, have an interest in the Baena and have been watching him in action for the past year.

The report also adds that any transfer deal for the Spaniard “will likely be dependent on the release clause in his Villarreal contract being met – that stands at £51m.”

Having worked his way through the youth system at Villarreal and even having a season on loan at Girona, the 22-year-old has made 89 senior appearances in total for his current side, scoring 18 goals and providing 18 assists along the way.

Described as a “sensational” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig on Twitter, Baena has found the net four times and supplied six assists in 20 appearances across all competitions.

In addition to that, with 13 La Liga appearances to his name so far this season, the winger has made more key passes (28) and has made more shot-creating actions (46) than any other player at Villarreal.

This shows how much of an attacking threat he carries and what he would be able to offer any of the sides that have been watching him.

Looking ahead to the next transfer windows, if City feel that they need more attacking options, securing a deal for Baena could be a very exciting move for them to make.