Pep Guardiola hasn't had it all his own way in his first season with Manchester City and it certainly has not been the instant success he was accustomed to with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Following their loss to Arsenal after extra time in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday, the Citizens now have a huge clash with local rivals United on Thursday that will go a long way to deciding who finishes inside the top four when everything is said and done at the end of the season.

A club like City, and a manager like Guardiola, cannot afford to miss out on Champions League football and despite their vast resources, they may struggle to attract top talent if they fail to qualify.

Xavi is a Barcelona legend and at the height of his career was one of the best midfielders in the world.

Now 37, two years ago he traded in Catalonia for Qatari club Al Sadd and he is now enjoying the winter of his career, so to speak.

However, after playing under Pep at the Nou Camp and winning just about everything possible, he remains close friends with the Manchester City manager to this day and offered a little insight into who Guardiola will target this summer.

And it appears that Dele Alli is near the top of the list, not especially due to his talent, but where he is born.

"I speak with Pep, and I know he thinks it is important to sign English players," Xavi told The Sun.

"I am sure in the summer he will look also across Europe for players to improve the squad, but also I expect him to look in the Premier League as well.

"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.

"I am sure it is not going to be a player that Tottenham will want to let go, but we know Manchester City have big resources."

Of course, Alli would be a major signing for just about anyone in the world given his goalscoring instincts from midfield, but City does have criteria to meet for English players in their squad, too.

Will that supersede the quality the squad clearly needs? With several players north of 30 and, arguably, past their peak, it's going to be a busy summer for Pep.