Manchester City scouts make Talent ID trip to Mexico as Hugo Viana outlines transfer window plans | OneFootball

Manchester City have taken an interest in Liga MX club Pumas UNAM’s squad and their scouting team visited the Mexican side’s campus last week.

The English club’s scouting team has been identifying and monitoring young talents across the globe since the 2008 Abu Dhabi takeover, which has led to several notable signings over the recent years, and they remain active as another transfer window approaches.

Recently, City have been linked with several up-and-coming youngsters outside England, including Palmeiras’ Eduardo Conceicao, Athletico Paranaense’s Bruninho and Bayer Leverkusen’s Ibrahim Maza.

Reports are suggesting that Manchester City are also on the lookout for young prodigies in Mexico as director of football Hugo Viana sets plans in motion for what is expected to be another busy transfer window at the Etihad Stadium.

Report: Man City enquire Pumas UNAM coach about players

Manchester City’s ownership group, the City Football Group, own several other clubs across leagues, including New York City, Girona and Troyes.

Pumas UNAM manager Efrain Juarez has previously been associated with City Football Group as an assistant coach for Major League Soccer club New York City from 2020-22.

In a recent conversation with Record, Juarez highlighted that Manchester City’s owners asked him about some players from Pumas UNAM’s youth and first teams.

“Because of my relationship with the group, I worked there for three years. It’s the biggest football group in the world. I heard they were coming,” Juarez said last week, as relayed by Sport Witness.

“They asked me about a couple of players, both from the youth academy and those currently on the first-team, who are already thinking about how they can strengthen their squads with their ten or twelve teams worldwide.”

The Mexican manager also spoke about City’s plans during the visit. “They have that ease and clarity,” he added. “With such a large group, that always happens.

“They’ll ask me questions. They’re going to watch a couple of matches, not just ours, but also some from the Mexican league. They’re coming to watch games; that’s what they do.”

Which players could be of interest to Manchester City?

While Juarez didn’t confirm the players who are of potential transfer interest to Manchester City, here are some notable names from the Liga MX club who could make the cut for the English side.

Pumas UNAM goalkeepers Pablo Lara, 20, and Rodrigo Parra, 18, could potentially make it to City’s list, along with 18-year-old midfielder Dennis Ramirez, who is being regarded as one of the top talents in the club and has already had opportunities with the first-team.

Manchester City could also consider Pumas UNAM’s 18-year-old defender Emiliano Villasenor and 17-year-old Alejandro Juarez, who is yet to receive his first-team debut but has participated with the U21s as a midfielder.

Stanley Garcia, 19, who has pulled off impressive displays with the U18 and U21 sides, made his debut in the first division in the Apertura 2025 and has been called up at Clausura 2026 in two games.

It remains to be seen which members of the Pumas UNAM squad are identified as potential signings for Manchester City, with further updates expected to follow after the Premier League side’s visit to Mexico.