There are three options we can take if we want any of Barca's team:
1) Pay over the odds for one of their first teamers
2) Take one of their out of favour players
3) Go for the youngsters
Having the Barca connection now may count for something, as they may still have contacts and, I believe, to have been appointed such positions at our club they must be pretty much the best at what we want them to do. There again, they don't actually work there any more and it's dangerous for us to assume they are still on good terms with their ex-team. Often break ups are messy.
However, even with taking some youngsters we have to be very careful - we need to seriously analyze what we need and then go for it. If we take players just because they were at Barca and so should be pretty good one day, then we could end up ruining the player and ruining our reputation as a progressive football team. Gai Assulin - a player we took on and for one reason or another didn't see his talents emerge. Can't afford to keep wasting our efforts like that, only for him to likely develop elsewhere later in his career.
Lots of work to be done - am sure there are talks planned with Mancini for what he thinks we need, where we are weak. Then these guys will want to see if for themselves. Then, and only then, will talks begin. Personally, I hope we have deals tied up before the window starts, but it's not always that easy.
And, I'm sure, if Lionel wants a new challenge, we'll be first in his ear. The key with such deals is often winning them over before news gets out. Have him thinking of City before the press report that he wants out, and the likes of PSG, Chelsea and so on get involved, and we'd be very well positioned. Though, really, ain't gonna happen that one.
Have a feeling Fabregas would be of interest to us, whether Nasri and Clichy being here would be enough to get over his love of Arsenal is a question to be asked. We'll see. Undoubtedly their key knowledge will be of the Spanish game, Barca, and of the top teams in Europe. By Christmas we'll know which big teams, (besides us) won't be in the CL any longer, and we can also look to use that as leverage.