Manchester City are reportedly considering using either Rico Lewis or Oscar Bobb as leverage in their pursuit of Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes.

The reigning champions may offer a loan deal for one of these young talents to the Magpies next season, if it aids them in securing Guimaraes’ signature.

Newcastle have set a hefty £100million price tag on their Brazilian midfielder, who is also on Arsenal‘s radar, but City are not willing to meet this valuation.

They believe Guimaraes, 26, is worth closer to £80m, which has currently put any move to bring the South American to the Etihad on hold.

However, Newcastle‘s interest in Lewis and Bobb could be the key to breaking this deadlock, according to the Sunday Star.

City have made it clear that neither player is up for sale this summer, viewing both Lewis, 19, and Bobb, 21, as crucial to the club’s long-term plans.

In the short term, however, Pep Guardiola might be willing to part with one of them in his quest to bolster his central midfield ahead of next season’s attempt at an unprecedented fifth consecutive title.

Lewis made a splash in the City first team during the 2022-23 Treble-winning season, starting 10 Premier League matches.

But the versatile England international, capable of playing at full-back or in an inverted midfield role, only started eight games last season.

Norwegian winger Bobb, on the other hand, saw less action, being used primarily as a substitute after being promoted from the Under-23s to the senior squad.

‘Outstanding, exceptional talent’ – Man City wildcard who could catch Pep Guardiola’s eye in pre-season.

There are 22 years between the oldest member of Manchester City’s pre-season squad and the youngest.

38-year-old Scott Carson drew laughs from Jack Grealish when he sat next to teenager Joel Ndala on the flight out to North Carolina, underlining his role in the squad as the father figure but also a senior player who will get along with everyone.

The youngest member of the squad, 16-year-old Stephen Mfuni, was not even born when Carson won the Champions League in 2005 with Liverpool as a reserve goalkeeper, nor when Carson lifted the FA Cup a year later or made his England debut in 2007.

Born in 2008, Mfuni is actually younger than Carson’s eldest son, who is on the books of Wolves, and was only six months old when Sheikh Mansour completed his takeover of the club he now represents. In the absence of the majority of City’s first-team players, these kinds of peculiarities can pop up.

And given Mfuni’s rise over the last 12 months, don’t bet against him catching Pep Guardiola’s eye.

The centre-back enjoyed a landmark season last term, making more under-18 and under-21 appearances than any other under-16 player in City’s academy. That is even more than Phil Foden or Cole Palmer, although Foden was being fast-tracked to the first team by that point.

Described as ‘outstanding’ by last season’s under-18 head coach Ben Wilkinson – who has now stepped up to take charge of the under-21s – Mfuni made his U18 debut while still a 15-year-old.

After starring in an early Youth Cup win, Wilkinson said: “He’s an exceptional talent. We think very highly of him. For a player that’s 15 years old, he has great maturity and a real high level of potential.

“He played slightly out of position tonight at left-back but dealt with the ball really well and looked comfortable in defensive situations.”

The centre-back is comfortable on the ball, with an eye for a pass, and even a ruthless mentality in front of goal. He scored in the U18 Premier League Cup final to keep Manchester United on their toes in May, before rushing in to ensure Kian Noble’s looping, goalbound header went over the line in the FA Youth Cup final.

Noble looked annoyed to have a goal taken off him on the line, but it speaks to Mfuni’s likeable character that all was forgiven at full-time when the youngsters lifted the trophy.

City’s website describes Mfuni as a ‘classy, ball-playing defender’, and he is capable of playing as the left centre-back or at left-back. Working alongside Josko Gvardiol later in the tour could help his development in that regard.

An England under-17 international, also eligible for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Wilkinson spoke of the high hopes City hold for Mfuni this season.

“He is outstanding for a boy of his age. I know he’s played more minutes for the under-18s and under-21s than any other under-16 we’ve ever had. So that gives you an idea of what we think of him,” Wilkinson said after the cup final vs United.

“He’s doing great, lots of learning for him tonight. He gets done for the goal tonight, steps up and gets sucked in and gets under the ball. That’s what these moments are for. Obviously you want to win, but the development for someone like him, hopefully the next time he comes across that moment in a big game there will be a little thing in his mind which will allow him to make a better decision.

“He’s done great, he’s had a fantastic year and hopefully he can really kick on over the next couple of years.”

With no John Stones, Ruben Dias, Manu Akanji or Nathan Ake, Gvardiol is the only senior defender who will play on tour – but he won’t join up until after the first game in North Carolina – and he ended the season as first-choice left-back.

Callum Doyle is an established Championship defender and has been lined up for a season-long loan to Norwich on his return, while Luke Mbete has plenty of EFL experience and Jadel Katongo was a key player for Peterborough in League One last season. Guardiola has options at centre-back even without the players who will play there this season.

Then there is Youth Cup-winning captain Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and the player he took the armband off due to injury, Lakyle Samuel. Mfuni will be seventh-choice centre-back this summer, but minutes should still be available.

Having surpassed expectations and handled every step up in his stride last term, a senior call-up is the natural next step for a player who is clearly generating excitement within the walls of the academy. Now, he’s firmly on the radar of those in the first-team building.

“There are still some things we saw and think he could have done better but for a 15-year-old to sort of step into this environment and look so comfortable is a really positive sign,” said Wilkinson in January.

A pre-season under Guardiola won’t faze him one bit.