Manchester City plan to bid for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley next summer, Football Express News can reveal.
A source close to the Etihad Stadium told FEN the Premier League champions watched the England international in action on a number of occasions last term and have been highly-impressed by his development.
The insider said there is an acceptance in the corridors of power that there is little or no chance of landing him during the current transfer window, as the Toffees will demand an astronomical price and the player himself has expressed no desire to leave Merseyside.
However, City view the 20-year-old as the long-term successor to talisman Yaya Toure, who is 11 years older and at the peak of his powers.
The centre of midfield is less of a priority for boss Manuel Pellegrini following last month’s acquisition of Brazilian box-to-box man Fernando from Portugese giants Porto.
Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations also bring a spending cap to City this summer, which is not expected to be present 12 months down the line.
Barkley announced himself on the biggest stage of all by featuring in England’s ill-fated World Cup campaign in Brazil, which ended in the group stage without a solitary triumph for Roy Hodgson’s men.