Man City and Liverpool to battle it out for Barcelona target Jean Michael Seri as Ivorian wants Premier League move

• e-mail

Manchester City and Liverpool are plotting big money moves for Barcelona target Jean Michael Seri.

The Ivory Coast international is open to a move to the Premier League, with City and Liverpool showing a concrete interest in the Nice midfielder.

Seri was close to joining Barcelona in the summer after the Catalan club tabled a formal offer worth £35.2million.

Barcelona target Jean Michael Seri has been linked with Manchester City and Liverpool

Seri came close to joining Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer but Nice rejected their bid

But the bid was rejected by Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere - much to the annoyance of Seri. However, Europe's big guns are circling again.

Scouts from City and Liverpool have watched Seri extensively this season and will continue to keep a watching brief ahead of a potential swoop.

Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on Seri, however a move to England either next month or in the summer is known to excite the 26-year-old.

Arsenal were also interested in Seri during the summer transfer window but fell short of making a formal offer.

Seri is fully fit after missing a month of the season through injury and will play a crucial role for Nice as they look to climb the Ligue 1 table. 

Jurgen Klopp (left) and Pep Guardiola (right) will battle it out for the 26-year-old midfielder