Manchester City Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Alex Grimaldo Ahead of January

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly interested in signing Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo, but the Portuguese club's £38.5 million asking price will likely prohibit the move.

According to Bruno Andrade of Portuguese outlet O Jogo (h/t MailOnline's Pete Jenson), Benfica will expect to make a huge profit if they sell the 21-year-old, who only arrived in January for £1.3 million.

The Spaniard played for Barcelona's youth side while Guardiola was the manager of the senior team, so the City manager will be familiar with the Masia graduate.

Indeed, Grimaldo made his debut for Barcelona B in 2011—while Guardiola was still in charge at the Camp Nou—at the age of 15 years and 349 days, making him the youngest player to ever feature in Spain's second tier, per Jenson.

The full-back went on to make almost 100 appearances for Barca B, but a lengthy spell on the sidelines saw him miss his chance to make the step to the senior side, and the club sold him.

Football journalist Rafael Hernandez believes Barcelona made a mistake in casting him aside:

In his relatively short time with Benfica, Grimaldo has made the left-back position his own and excelled.

The attack-minded full-back has already accrued two goals and four assists in all competitions this season, courtesy of his marauding runs and deadly accuracy from free-kicks. His pace and dribbling skill also make him a real handful for defenders.

Here's a selection of his early-season highlights:

Portuguese football writer Jan Hagen has been repeatedly impressed with the youngster's efforts:

As a player who came up through Barcelona's youth system, Grimaldo has been instilled with the Catalan club's philosophy, and his passing is among his strongest attributes.

With Guardiola steadily seeking to mold the Sky Blues in his image, Grimaldo would be a fine fit at the Etihad Stadium.

Per Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola will soon face a dilemma at full-back—Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna are all out of contract at the end of the season, while Aleksandar Kolarov's deal expires the following summer.

Grimaldo appears a worthy candidate to replace Clichy on the left, but Benfica's enormous valuation will likely have its intended effect and dissuade them from making a bid unless City test the Portuguese club's resolve with a slightly less exorbitant offer.