Man City negotiating asking price of midfielder Barcelona sold for €8.5m in 2023 | OneFootball

Manchester City are interested in Porto's Nico Gonzalez but any deal for the £50m-rated midfielder is complicated by the various clauses in his complex contract, according to multiple reports.

Pep Guardiola's defending Premier League champions have splurged this year. During the Catalan coach's first eight seasons in Manchester, City spent a total of around £140m on winter arrivals. More than £132m has been splashed on four permanent transfers this year alone.

Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov have already made their competitive debuts for the club - with mixed success - while Vitor Reis was named on the bench for last weekend's clash with Chelsea. The 18-year-old centre-back Juma Bah is the only senior arrival who has been sent straight out on loan.

However, the spending spree has not stopped just yet. The Athletic were one of several publications to report that City were actively "exploring" a deal for Porto's Gonzalez over the last few days of the window.

Not to be confused with his Argentine namesake at Juventus, the towering Spanish midfielder came through Barcelona's academy and made 37 first-team appearances for the club before joining Porto in 2023. The €8.5m (£7.1m) deal which took Gonzalez to Portugal included a €60m (£50m) release clause, according to The Telegraph.

Only one Porto player has directly contributed to more league goals this season than Nicolas Gonzalez / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/GettyImages

Crucially, Barcelona are also entitled to 40% of the profit Porto make on Gonzalez. City are widely reported to be unwilling to spend as much as £50m on the 23-year-old, but the Portuguese giants could find a way to smooth negotiations.

As revealed by Record, Porto have the option of paying Barcelona €6m (£5m) to secure an extra 20% of Gonzalez's rights. If this clause is triggered, the Portuguese giants would be entitled to 80% of the profit from the sale, while the Catalans take home 20%.

It remains to be seen how high City are willing to go in search of a versatile midfielder who doesn't exactly fill the void left by Rodri, but offers an extra layer of muscle and physicality to an area of the pitch which has caused the champions so many problems this season.

Barcelona, if they were so inclined, can sign Gonzalez for just €30m (£25m).