Barcelona and Real Madrid face competition from Man City for Arnau Martinez

Manchester City could rival Barcelona and Real Madrid in the race to sign Spain Under-21 right-back Arnau Martinez, sources have confirmed to 90min.

Posted Saturday, October 21, 2023 by 90min.com

Martinez has announced himself as one of La Liga's premier right-backs since Girona returned to the top flight last season, while he has also contributed to their bright beginning to this campaign, sitting second in the table.

His exploits last term attracted the attention of Barcelona - where he spent six years in his adolescence - and Real Madrid, but neither ended up sanctioning a bid during the summer transfer window.

However, 90min understands that both Clasico clubs remain keen on Martinez and are determined to keep him in Spain amid interest from across Europe.

Girona form part of the City Football Group, with Man City the major club operating under that ownership umbrella. The treble-winners are aware of Martinez's progress and they would be interested in bringing him to the Etihad Stadium.

Martinez is turning heads

There are other admirers from England, too. Sources have confirmed to 90min that Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all watched Martinez this season to check in on his progress.

Clubs from mainland Europe that have scouted Martinez in recent weeks include Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli and Roma.

Martinez, who only turned 20 in April, is yet to be capped by Spain at senior level but has already played 102 senior matches for Girona and is their youngest ever scorer.

Though naturally a right-back, Martinez is also capable of playing as winger or at centre-back and has been used in several different ways during his career so far. He is also a finalist for the 2023 Golden Boy award.