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Adelaide United nears loan deal for Granada striker Sergi Guardiola

Spanish forward Sergi Guardiola appears set to join Adelaide United after his La Liga side Granada agreed to release the 25-year-old on loan.

Guardiola, who has no relation to Spanish great and new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, is awaiting a visa to enter Australia and then will have a medical at the Reds before signing.

The striker has been looking to reignite his career after a move to Barcelona was bungled in Dec. 2015, after the Spanish giants discovered a series of "offensive tweets about the club and Catalonia."

Guardiola's pending move would bolster an Adelaide attack depleted by offseason transfers.

Striker Bruce Djite (Suwon FC), attacking midfielder Stefan Mauk (NEC Nijmegen), forward Eli Babalj (AZ Alkmaar) winger Craig Goodwin (Sparta Rotterdam), attacker Bruce Kamau (Melbourne City) and forward Pablo Sanchez (released) have all departed since the Reds claimed their first A-League championship.

Adelaide will also be without defender Jordan Elsey after it was announced that he will miss the entire A-League season because of injury.

Elsey has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be sidelined for about 12 months, a club spokesman has confirmed.

The 22-year-old also suffered the same injury last year before returning to action during Adelaide's title-winning A-League season.

Information from AAP was used in this report.