Man City prepared to pay €25m for River starlet De La Cruz (Marca)

A disappointing first year with River Plate has been consigned to the history books, as Nicolas de la Cruz has been excellent over the past few months for the Argentine side and he is on Manchester City's radar.

The 22-year-old Uruguayan midfielder has caught the attention of the English side and they've reportedly already been in touch with River Plate.

His release clause is set at 22 million euros, but Manchester City are expected to offer over 25m euros.

De la Cruz has been in fine form this season for River Plate, scoring four and providing the same number of assists in nine Superliga games.

City's move for de la Cruz may come as a surprise, with defence a key area Guardiola needs to invest in in the new year.

Owing to the long term absence of defensive rock Aymeric Laporte, City have looked overwhelmingly shaky at the back, with defensive midfielder Fernandinho slotting into the back two alongside Nicolas Otamendi or John Stones.