Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants Barcelona defender at Etihad

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants Barcelona defender Nelson Samedo at Etihad Stadium.

The report in the Daily Mail claims that Manchester City is understood to be open to a swap deal involving Joao Cancelo, the Portugal international who cost £60million from Juventus last summer.

Cancelo has made just eight Premier League starts and Guardiola believes Walker requires tougher competition at right-back.

Swap deals are expected to become more prevalent once the transfer window re-opens, with Barcelona open to moving on a sizeable number of their current squad.

Semedo moved to the Nou Camp from Benfica, where he had played alongside Bernardo Silva for the club’s B team when the pair were teenagers.

The 26-year-old will become the seventh full-back signed during Guardiola’s reign — at a cost of almost £200m — should City manage to secure his signature amid interest from elsewhere in Europe.