Manchester City made a strong attempt to sign Lamine Yamal through a proxy last year, according to Cristina Cubero of Mundo Deportivo.
Man City scouts identified Yamal's talent and recommended him to their development squad. The plan was to sign him for Girona (a club owned by the City Group) and take him to Manchester afterwards.
However, before Man City's plan could be hatched, Xavi already had a grip on Yamal and told the youngster about his plans to use him in the first team at a young age.
Last season, Yamal became the youngest player ever to play for Barca after he made his senior debut at the age of 15 years and 9 months.
The youngster has already featured in La Liga this season and looks set to have a big role in the team following the departure of Ousmane Dembele.
It remains to be seen if Man City will try again for Yamal before he turns 18.
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