Manchester City Transfer News: Boubacar Kamara Talks over FaceTime Reported

Manchester City have reportedly held talks with Marseille starlet Boubacar Kamara over FaceTime in a bid to land the player. 

Per L'Equipe (h/t Andrew Richardson of the Sun), City have taken the unusual step of contacting the 17-year-old's family using the iPhone application.

Kamara is regarded as one of the finest young players in France and has gained five caps for the under-18 national team despite having never made a first-team appearance for his club side Marseille.

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The reported move for Kamara shows City's intention to attract the top young players from across Europe rather than relying on the fact they can splash out big sums of money during each transfer window on older stars.

Should any transfer materialise, it is likely Kamara would initially bed in and turn out for the club's youth teams, who enjoyed great success under the stewardship of academy director Mark Allen last season.

City will no doubt be looking to the youth academy to provide manager Pep Guardiola with more squad depth rather than relying on the riches of owner Sheikh Mansour.

Guardiola was heavily involved with the famous La Masia academy at Barcelona and will surely be keen on a similar flow of talent coming through the ranks of his current employers.

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However, the reports of City's FaceTime contact are likely to annoy the Ligue 1 side. They are sure to be desperate to hold on to one of their future stars, who has been offered a new deal, per the Sun's report.

The centre-back only turned 17 on November 23. City will be keen to tread carefully over the reported approach, via FaceTime or otherwise, to Kamara and his family.

As John Cross of the Daily Mirror noted, the Premier League has introduced stricter rules on the signing of young players.

Per the report, this will see them "demand families hand over phone records and bank account details as part of a 'renewed focus' on tapping-up and illegal deals."

But if City can ultimately persuade the France teenager that his future lies in Manchester, it will be a move that will demonstrate they are not only able to attract top senior players, but also the most coveted prodigies the game has to offer.