Why Barcelona and Real Madrid have not been chasing Man City stars

Manchester City made the world sit up and take notice last season but the transfer speculation surrounding their star players has been curiously quiet

Barcelona are casting covetous glances at Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus.

But the Catalan giants – always used to getting their man in the past – will not be sparking a transfer pursuit of the Brazil striker this summer.

The Spanish daily sports paper AS includes Jesus in a list of players that Barcelona have been eyeing as they seek to spice up their team for next season.

It says Barca are watching Mexico star Hirving Lozano and Russia's Aleksandr Golovin, and that City ace Jesus “is also of Barca's taste”.

But they add that signing Jesus would, like their abortive attempts to snatch Sergio Aguero in the last seven years, be pointless.

They say that Jesus would seem “impossible considering the status of the buying club and the non-seller that is City”.

City have worked hard at that “non-seller” tag, repeatedly killing any notion of their front-line stars leaving, and ensuring that they are happy from the point of view of football, finance and personal life.

That is why there has been no flurry of transfer rumours surrounding Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and the other City Centurions.

It is strange that a team that lit up the Premier League and earned itself a big reputation around the globe has not been at the heart of the transfer speculation merry-go-round.

Of course, Jesus and Sterling have yet to sign a new improved deal with City but the club is relaxed that deals will be thrashed out once the World Cup is over.