According to reports in The Sun, former Barcelona midfielder Xavi says that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants to sign Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli in a world-record deal this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Spaniard played with and worked under Guardiola during the duo’s spell at the Camp Nou and he believes that the 46-year-old could launch a huge offer for the 21-year-old Spurs ace.

City look set to end the season without a trophy following their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal on Sunday and they are also in danger of missing out on a spot in the top four in the Premier League too, meaning Guardiola could look to make big changes to his squad at the end of the campaign.

Xavi said: "I speak with Pep, and I know he thinks it is important to sign English players.

"At the moment the best English player there is and also one of the best in Europe is Dele Alli. We are looking at a very special player.

"Technically he is the sort of player that Pep likes, the sort of player that suits the style of game that Pep likes his teams to play."

How much would he cost?

As we mentioned before, Tottenham would demand more than the £89m world-record fee that Manchester United paid Juventus for Paul Pogba last summer if Manchester City did want to sign Alli, and they certainly have the resources to do exactly that.

Would he be worth it?

As seen by the outstanding season he has enjoyed after scoring 20 goals and providing a further 11 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions, he has the potential to go on to become one of the best players in the world after picking up his second successive PFA Young Player of the Year award on Sunday.

However, he certainly isn’t worth a world-record fee having only just celebrated his 21st birthday.

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Are any other clubs interested?

They certainly are.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are all said to be keeping close tabs on the England international, who moved to White Hart Lane from MK Dons for just £5m in 2015.

Can Spurs keep hold of him?

His manager Mauricio Pochettino will demand that they do.

If the north London outfit want to match his ambitions and become regular Premier League title contenders then they must continue to build their squad and if Alli is sold, the Argentine boss could easily walk away too.

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