Man City may be forced to sell Alvaro Negredo, Matija Nastasic and Javi Garcia
MANCHESTER CITY may be forced to sell THREE big names this summer.
Alvaro Negredo, Matija Nastasic and Javi Garcia could all find themselves sold on as the Premier League champions face a squad selection headache this season.
Boss Manuel Pellegrini does not have a big enough foreign player quota for the names currently on City's books.
Eliaquim Mangala is set to become the sixth foreigner to arrive at the club this summer.
The Porto defender is expected to complete his move in the next few days which will mean City are one foreigner above the Premier League quota of 17.
But they can only name 16 non home-grown players in their reduced Champions League squad of 21 which means two foreign stars would not be able to feature.
Pellegrini's squad would have to be filled with inexperienced under-21 players who qualify after England's Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott departed this summer.
Jack Rodwell, Micah Richards and Scott Sinclair are also believed to be on the way out.
And that means City - who cannot spend over £49m this summer after breaching UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules - would have to flog some big names to raise funds.
They are close to that spending cap if the £32m deal for Mangala goes through after shelling out around £4.5m on keeper Willy Caballero and £12m on midfielder Fernando.
Ten City Fixtures Switched
Three of our first four games have been moved for TV coverage, and a total of ten matches have suffered changes before we even get into December.
We begin our defence of the Premier League title at Newcastle on Sunday August 17, with the game kicking off at 4pm.
We then face Liverpool on Monday August 25, with an 8pm kick off time.
The game against Arsenal on Saturday September 13, now kicks off at 12.45pm.
Chelsea's visit now takes place on Sunday September 21 with a 4pm kick off.
Our game away to Aston Villa now takes place on Saturday October 4, but with a 5.30pm kick off.
We host Tottenham on Saturday October 18 with a 12.45pm kick off.
The trip to West Ham now takes place on October 25 with a 12.45pm kick off.
The derby game against United takes place on Sunday November 2 with a 1.30pm kick off.
The Queens Park Rangers game is now Saturday November 8 with a 5.30pm kick off, and finally Southampton away is on Sunday November 30 with a 1.30pm kick off.
Benatia seduced and abandoned by Manchester City
Roma defender Mehdi Benatia is preparing to resign himself to staying at the Stadio Olimpico after reportedly being led on by Manchester City.
Mehdi Benatia may be left in the awkward position after pushing for a move to Manchester City which now appears to have fallen by the wayside.
The Moroccan defender rose to stardom last season with his impeccable performances at the heart of Roma's defence, playing a crucial role in the Giallorossi's runners-up finish in Serie A.
Benatia became a reported target for a long list of big clubs around Europe with Manchester City making the most definite moves
The gifted centre-back responded to the interest by becoming unsettled in the Eternal City and reportedly demanding Roma double his wages.
However, according to Il Tempo, Benatia will have to turn up to Roma's first pre-season meeting with his tail between his legs.
The paper has the headline: "Seduced and abandoned by Manchester City: Benatia will be at the meeting" and claims that the Manchester club have chosen Porto's Eliaquim Mangala instead.
It is being widely reported that Man City are very close to agreeing a £32 million swoop for Mangala, which would end any possibility of moving for Benatia.
Benatia reportedly believed he was set to sign for the Premier League champions and had started to act as if the deal was done.
It is possible, however, that another club will come in for Benatia who has also been linked with Chelsea and Barcelona in the past.
United's City deal hijack bid fails
Manchester City are poised to hold off a late challenge from rivals Manchester United to tie up a deal for defender Eliaquim Mangala.
The Red Devils got wind last Friday night that Porto were finally ready to sell after buying his replacement in Bruno Alves.
United have been tracking the player for 18 months and quickly offered to match City's terms and conditions.
Mangala, however, wants to continue playing Champions League football and was impressed by City's desire to wait for his services, having also tried to sign him back in January.
The 23-year-old completed a medical in Manchester on Saturday afternoon, but City are now just waiting for Porto to conclude third-party ownership matters and make an announcement to their own shareholders before rubber-stamping a £31.2million deal.
Yaya Touré set to discuss future at Manchester City on club’s US tour
• Ivorian midfielder has appeared to indicate a wish to leave
• City manager, Manuel Pellegrini, wants mattered settled swiftly
Yaya Touré is due for talks with Manchester City over his future before the club’s second match of their summer tour of the United States on 27 July.
The Ivorian midfielder is expected to join Manuel Pellegrini’s squad no later than three days before the champions face Milan at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, along with the club’s other players who were involved with the World Cup and whose teams went out at the group stage. Those include City’s England players, Joe Hart and James Milner.
Once in America the club will discuss with Touré a series of off-message comments that appear to point to the midfielder wanting to leave or seeking an improved contract.
These began with the claim from his agent, Dimitry Seluk, that the Ivorian was not given proper recognition by the club on his birthday during a close-season trip to Abu Dhabi, which came in May following City’s championship triumph. These comments were subsequently supported by Touré on Twitter.
City contacted the midfielder and believed they had smoothed relations and so were surprised when Touré told France Football around a month later, when writing in a column, that the club had not given him compassionate leave to visit his dying brother. That claim is disputed by City, who privately state it would never deny such a request.
With Touré having been away with Ivory Coast for the World Cup and now on holiday, he is yet to meet Pellegrini or the club executive to discuss the root cause of his outbursts.
Although City are intent that Touré will not leave – Paris Saint-Germain may be one suitor – and the club are in a strong position, given he signed a new four-year contract only last year, Pellegrini is keen to settle the matter as soon as possible before his quest to mount a successful title defence and Champions League challenge next season.
However, given the nature of Touré’s claims and Seluk’s continued public comments regarding him – last week he claimed the 31-year-old would win the premier individual awards “if he was white” – the dispute could rumble on through the summer.
AC Milan 'drop Mario Balotelli asking price to £14.5m'
AC Milan have reportedly lowered their asking price for striker Mario Balotelli following Italy's poor World Cup campaign.
The former Manchester City player has been linked to both Arsenal and Liverpool, who were thought to be considering a £24m move for the forward.
However, according to The Express, reports in Italy have claimed that Milan will accept £14.5m for Balotelli, who was blamed by a number of Italy fans for their failure to get out of the group stages in Brazil.
The 23-year-old moved to the San Siro from Man City in January last year.
Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, 27, has given Manchester United a sign that he is ready to join them after admitting he would "love to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world". Independent
Meanwhile, United have been boosted in their pursuit of Real Madrid's Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, 26, after he reportedly turned down Paris St-Germain. Daily Mirror
Atletico Madrid left-back Filipe Luis, 28, is set to undergo a medical ahead of his £20m move to Chelsea. Daily Express
Sevilla boss Unai Emery admits he is prepared to lose 22-year-old left-back Alberto Moreno, who is a target for Liverpool. TalkSHIT
Paul Lambert is poised to sign Swansea midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng, 25, and let Yacouba Sylla go as he continues his cut-price Aston Villa shake-up. Daily Mirror
Paris St-Germain striker Edinson Cavani, 27, has instructed his agent to investigate a move to the Premier League. Sky Sports
Arsenal look ready to end their interest in Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira over the 27-year-old's wage demands. The Germany World Cup winner is asking to become the highest-paid player at Emirates Stadium. Daily Mirror
The Gunners are stepping up their interest in Southampton right-back Calum Chambers, 19, despite closing in on Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchy. DSSC
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, 35, will sign for Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday. Sky Sports
Liverpool could make a £44m bid for Borussia Dortmund's 25-year-old Germany forward Marco Reus. Daily Express
Dynamo Moscow have agreed a £5.5m deal with Marseille to sign France international playmaker Mathieu Valbuena, 29, a blow to interested Premier League clubs Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham TalkSHIT
Robin van Persie has been given a three-week break by Manchester United, in contrast to Wayne Rooney, who has been asked to report back early. Sun
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher says the Reds will struggle to find a like-for-like replacement for Barcelona-bound Luis Suarez this summer. TalkSHIT
Jack Wilshire, 22, who apologised for smoking in October, has been pictured at it again as he parties in Las Vegas with England team-mate Joe Hart. DSSC
Right-back Carl Jenkinson, 22, believes Arsenal can win the Premier League title after ending their trophy drought last season. Soccerway
Manchester United's relationship with kit manufacturers Nike began to deteriorate when United displayed branding of rival companies at their training ground. The Premier League club announced a new deal with Adidas on Monday. DSSC
Southampton defender Dejan Lovren has returned to pre-season training despite threatening to go on strike. The 25-year-old has been the subject of a failed bid from Liverpool. Daily Star
Bayern Munich star Bastian Schweinsteiger, 29, believes Germany can embark on an era of global dominance following their World Cup success in Brazil. Daily Express
"Welcome on board - Captain Podolski is speaking". World Cup winner Lukas Podolski tweets about the return flight to Berlin.
Aaron Ramsey asks for some facial hair advice on Twitter: "Having a lie down before the afternoon session. What do you think of the facial hair? Shave or keep the #beard ??"
Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton has come out of international retirement after watching England's performance at the World Cup. "Having seen the standard, I believe it's possible," said the 31-year-old, who retired in May 2013. Daily Telegraph
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