Guardiola admits it will be difficult to compete with Barça for De Jong
The Man City coach says his side can't fight Europe's top clubs in the transfer market
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has made some surprising comments in relation to the English club's position in the transfer market.
Guardiola says that City are at a disadvantage when compared to Europe's biggest clubs, like Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Without actually naming Frenkie de Jong, when he was asked about City's interest in the Dutch midfielder he skewed off in an interesting direction.
"If you are the only side that wants a player, then it's easy," he said. "But if you want a certain player and there are lots and lots of clubs that want him, then it's more complicated, especially if the other clubs are Real Madrid and Barcelona.
"Normally, when you're in the same battle as Real Madrid and Barcelona, you're going to lose. You have to be quicker and more efficient."
However, Guardiola indicated that "I am not talking about the case with the Ajax player, because he's an Ajax player. There are many players and this doesn't happen in isolation."
