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Manchester City have urged sister club Girona to take part in the first La Liga game to be played in the United States, according to the league’s president Javier Tebas.

City Football Group bought a 44.3 per cent stake in the Catalan club in 2017 - with Pep Guardiola's brother Pere fronting a group that owns the same amount - and are said to be keen for Girona to become the first club to play at ‘home’ in the United States for their January fixture against Barcelona.

Tebas is almost certain that the game, set to be staged at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, will go ahead across the pond and revealed that it is optional for Spanish clubs to take part in the initiative.

"Girona-Barcelona will 90 per cent be played in the United States, but the agreement is not about just one game, it’s about a process which is much bigger,” Tebas told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

"There’s no obligation for teams to play one game a year in the United States, only the clubs who volunteer to go will go.

"But this is much more than a game, it’s about strategy and sponsorship."

"The game is designed to help teams that don’t have a very big fan base," Tebas added.

"Girona are partly owned by City and together with (Miami Dolphins owner) Stephen Ross, they told us Girona were interested in playing this game."

Tebas has an acrimonious relationship with City, having previously criticised the Blues for their operating conduct and transfer activity to the extent that the Blues threatened legal action against the Spanish supremo.

The president, who has held the position since 2013, wrote a letter to Uefa urging an investigation into City's spending, but the governing body adjudged that the Blues had no case to answer.

That was before Tebas accused City of 'peeing in the pool' and 'laughing at the system' in a row over Financial Fair Play.

Girona, who retained their La Liga status last season after being promoted to the top division for the first time in 2017, said they had received the offer to play the game against Barcelona but it had yet to be confirmed.

"The club has accepted this offer, understanding that it is a great possibility to expand and grow, not only for the club but also for our city and our territory," a statement on the official Girona website read.

“Three years ago, the club was fighting against going out of business and now our objective is to consolidate ourselves in La Liga.

“This action would be another step in competing in football’s elite after all the efforts we have made and which has led to us being promoted to the top flight.”