Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly prepared to meet the £36m release clause inserted in Sergi Roberto's contract to nab him from former club Barcelona.
The 25-year-old emerged as a rumoured target for the Citizens earlier this year after impressing with his versatility at Camp Nou, where he can slot in at midfield or right-back.
According to The Sun, Guardiola is ready to push ahead with his plans to sign Roberto in January as he attempts to further bolster his squad for the second half of the campaign.
Roberto, who missed out on a place in Spain's latest squad for qualifiers against Albania and Israel, has featured over 150 times for Barcelona since breaking into the first team in 2010 under Guardiola.
Barca boss Ernesto Valverde claimed in August that Roberto remains a key part of his plans, amid rumours at the time that he wanted out of Catalonia.
