Manchester City have contacted the agent of Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri over a possible move to the Etihad Stadium.

French paper Le Parisien says City boss Pep Guardiola asked club representatives to meet Seri’s agent in Manchester last week.

Seri was close to agreeing a deal with Barcelona last summer, but the transfer fell through after Nice upped the asking price.

The midfielder is said to have an unofficial €40 million release clause in his contract, but his move to the Nou Camp collapsed after Paris Saint-Germain indicated they would offer €10m more.

Everton were linked with a move for Seri earlier this month, although a bid failed to materialise. Seri’s current contract expires in the summer of 2019 and Nice are looking to cash in now rather than risk losing him for nothing.

Guardiola wants another strong midfielder to replace Yaya Toure who is approaching the end of his time with the club.

Nice bought Seri from Paços de Ferreira in 2015 for around £750,000 and he has appeared in almost every Ligue 1 match since.

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