Man City are 'told' the HUGE sum they must pay Inter Milan for Nico Barella as Pep Guardiola attempts to find Rodri replacement

Manchester City have been told the huge price they must pay Inter Milan for Nico Barella if they want to sign the midfielder in January, according to reports.

The reigning Premier League champions are expected to be active in the winter transfer market as they attempt to find a replacement for the injured Rodri .

Barella is one such player they could try to wrangle from a top European competitor amidst a limited list of options after Rodri has his season ended after being injured against Arsenal .

The Spanish midfielder - who is tipped for the Ballon d'Or - will be out for the remainder of the season as he undergoes surgery on a torn ACL and Pep Guardiola must find a solution for his star player.

Inter Milan currently have five years remaining on an agreement with Barella and have set an asking price of £70m for City to meet if they want to bring the Italian to Manchester, as reported by Football Insider.

Barella has been a star in the making at the San Siro and is one of the reigning Serie A champions most-prized assets so a huge transfer fee isn't unusual given the midfielder's status.

He recently impressed Guardiola after being named the Champions League player of the match as Inter Milan held City to a goalless draw at the Etihad in both teams' opening clash of the competition.

Clubs also tend to pay even greater inflated figures during the midseason transfer window given the disruption it causes teams as they scramble to find replacements for sold players.

City could also choose to not enter the market and attempt to fill the huge void left by Rodri's sudden departure by utilising the huge squad depth they have built over the years.

Saturday's 1-1 draw against Newcastle saw Guardiola deploy youngster Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic in midfield with the pair attempting to play a double-pivot role that struggled against the Magpies press.

Barella could slot directly into the defensive midfield role City are now desperately attempting to find a solution for, with the 27-year-old one of the most consistent starters at Inter.

Speaking after City's weekend draw against Newcastle, Guardiola insisted that he is trying to 'find a solution' for Rodri's injury.

'Guys, I'm going to tell you – I know you're going ask me all the time – of course you're going to miss Rodri - his physicality, his presence, I know,' he said.

'But he's not there, so I'm judging (Mateo) Kovacic and Rico (Lewis) and Bernardo (Silva). How we have played, it was exceptional.

'So it's simple, I had to find a solution. I would love Rodri to be here and Oscar Bobb to be here and Kevin to be here and (Nathan) Ake to be here, I would love it. But it is what it is,' added Guardiola.