Manchester City are reportedly looking to improve their scouting network in Brazil in order to discover the next Neymar or Kaká.
The Sunday Mirror says the Premier League champions are to undertake a serious recruitment push throughout South America in an attempt to find new talent before their rivals.
City are looking to bring in the best young players from around the world, ahead of the opening of the club’s new Academy in 2014.
A club insider said: “South America is an important breeding ground for talent and it was felt that this was an area of the world where our scouting network had to be improved.
“Players such as Agüero, Zabaleta and Tevez have been big successes at City, but the key now is to recruit players like this at an early age, so that we can develop them ourselves.”
Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain is the man who has been given the task, and is reportedly already in Brazil to conduct talks with Santos and Corinthians for Neymar and Paulinho negotiations.
The Daily Mirror reports that Begiristain has arrived in São Paulo to push through a £11million deal for Paulinho, while The Daily Telegraph suggests he is also meeting Santos officials to discuss a possible £32million move for Neymar.
Begiristain spent seven years in the same role at Barcelona, where he became an expert in the identification process that saw Lionel Messi, then aged 11, signed by the Catalan club.
He is expected to spend more time travelling around South America in the New Year to ensure City get first refusal on the region’s top young players.
