Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly been handed a boost in his pursuit of Atletico Madrid defender Sime Vrsaljko.

Guardiola is known to be in the market for a full-back, with summer signing Benjamin Mendy not due back from a serious knee injury until April, and Vrsaljko has previously been linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium.

Earlier this month, the Croatian international played down suggestions that he wanted to leave the La Liga giants, but according to Marca, Vrsaljko has spoken to club officials about a potential exit.

The 25-year-old has only spent 18 months in Madrid, but it has been claimed that the full-back is keen to take on a new challenge after failing to establish himself as a regular under Diego Simeone.

The former Sassuolo player has made just 17 appearances in La Liga, with his most recent league outing coming at the end of September.

Atletico president Enrique Cerezo recently denied that Napoli have made an offer for the player.