According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Manchester City want to snap up Ecuador youth international midfielder Jose Cifuentes this summer, and are looking for a club in Croatia to send him on loan to.

The America de Quito star won’t be able to secure a work permit that will enable him feature for the Premier League giants at the moment, hence the need to send him out on loan, but the player is very interested in moving to Celtic after the Scottish champions showed interest in him.

MAN CITY. Want Jose Cifuentes deal done and looking for club in Croatia to send on loan. Cifuentes very interested in CELTIC switch as all this goes on.

— Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko) July 14, 2019

The 20-year-old is on the radar of Hoops boss Neil Lennon who wants to strengthen his midfield ranks ahead of next season.

Clubs in Germany and Italy are also keen on Cifuentes, but the midfielder, who impressed with Ecuador under-20s at the Youth World Cup, knows his chances of playing regular football are high if he joins Celtic.

The Parkhead outfit could lose Frenchman Olivier Ntcham this summer after he expressed the desire to leave for a more challenging league, and Cifuentes could be the perfect replacement for him.

While Man. City can offer regular Champions League football and a chance to win the biggest silverware on the planet, the youngster has to wait until he becomes a senior international in order to play for them.

Given the quality of manager Pep Guardiola’s star-studded squad, though, Cifuentes isn’t guaranteed of ever making a debut, and it’s understandable to see why he prefers Celtic.