Manchester City to make new bid for Jonny Evans after Leicester's £21m attempt was rejected
West Brom want £30million for their defender and captain, who will be at City's training base this week
Manchester City are expected to make a fresh bid for Jonny Evans after Leicester failed with a £21million offer.
West Brom have rejected Leicester’s bid and want £30million for the Baggies defensive linchpin and captain.
City had an £18million offer rebuffed and are expected to table an improved bid before Thursday’s transfer deadline.
Ironically, Evans, 29, will be training at City’s CFA complex this week with Northern Ireland ahead of their World Cup qualifier against San Marino on Friday.
Baggies boss Tony Pulis is prepared to cash in on Evans and feels he could use his transfer windfall to strengthen his squad
He is considering a bid for Liverpool outcast Mamadou Sakho, who accepts he has no future at Anfield and is looking for a move.
Liverpool wanted £30million for Sakho, who is also a target for Crystal Palace, but may consider another loan move just to offload him for the rest of the campaign.
Alexis Sanchezzzzzz
Manchester City remain confident Arsenal will soften their stance on Alexis Sanchez and allow the Chile international to join them before the transfer window closes, reports claim.
Pep Guardiola’s side are preparing a final major bid for the attacker, who cut a frustrated figure once more during his return to action in Arsenal’s 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool.
The 28-year-old took to Instagram in the aftermath of the defeat to bemoan the defeat, posting a photograph of himself looking dejected on the Anfield pitch
Sanchez has refused to sign a new deal all summer and with his contract expiring next summer, it’s almost certain he will leave one way or another.
But with Arsenal growing more and more anxious about losing him for nothing, City remain confident of securing his signature before the Thursday deadline, according to Goal. Should he be allowed to move to the Etihad, Sanchez will likely not be alone in leaving.
Shkodran Mustafi is closing in on a switch to Serie A giants Inter Milan, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is on his way to Chelsea.
Lucas Perez is also expected to return to former side Deportivo La Coruna.
Man City to make late move for Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Manchester City are to make a late bid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to reports.
The French-born Gabon striker is said to be eager for a big money deal away from Borussia Dortmund.
And Le10sport.com say he is not pleased that Ousmane Dembele was allowed to make a big move to Barcelona when the door has been long shut on his departure.
The French publication say City are ready for a "big offensive for Aubameyang" in the closing days of the summer transfer window.
While it's a long shot, and City are also still pushing for Alexis Sachez's increasingly unlikely - without a massive fee - move from Arsenal, "it is not impossible".
City boss Pep Guardiola knows Aubameyang well from his time facing him in the Bundesliga when in charge of Bayern Munich.
No club other than Manchester United could test Patrick Roberts like Celtic will, claims Peter Grant
Former Celtic player Peter Grant believes Patrick Roberts was right to re-sign
The winger completed his loan move to Celtic from Manchester City on Monday
Grant claims Roberts made the right decision and will improve by being at Celtic
He said the only club who could test him the same as Celtic is Manchester United
The Manchester City blueprint for the development of young players tends to be chiselled in tablets of stone.
Rather than sitting and stagnating in the splendour of the Etihad Campus, the pathway to the first team is plotted by taking a circuitous route through a number of unfamiliar environments.
When Jason Denayer returned to the Sky Blues two years ago after an impressive season with Celtic, he was immediately redirected to Istanbul to play for Galatasaray.
Last year, in the final leg of his apprenticeship, he had the dubious honour of pulling on the shirt of Championship-bound Sunderland.
The Belgian's career path is not dissimilar to others his age. Variety may be the spice of life, but, for those in charge at City, it remains the cornerstone of their policy on rearing the stars of tomorrow. All of which is pretty much the reason behind the impasse that existed between the club and Patrick Roberts over the last three months.
Offering up Southampton, Nice or Girona as possible destinations for the 20-year-old, City, for long enough, refused to sanction another season in Glasgow on the grounds that Roberts would learn more in fresh surroundings. The winger, for his part, remained intransigent. While the south coast of England, France or a little slice of Catalonia held obvious appeal, the England Under-20 cap felt his career would be better served by returning to Glasgow.
It has been an open secret for the past week that the player's argument had won the day.
But if some City officials are perhaps still smarting at this intriguing example of player power, one man who Roberts knows well feels the player's decision has been made with his head as opposed to his heart. Former Celtic player Peter Grant was serving as Fulham's No2 when Roberts made his debut against City in 2014. And having sampled all the English game has to offer as a coach over the past 20 years, the 51-year-old is convinced another year in the pressure-cooker environment of Celtic Park will ready Roberts to become a City first-team player in a way no alternative could come close to.
'In all my time in England, there's only one club that has a similar type of pressure when you pull on that jersey. And that's Manchester United,' Grant told Sportsmail.
'I really feel that. I worked in the Premier League for six or seven years and that was the only place I felt was similar to Celtic in terms of the expectations.
'Most of the rest, if you lose or draw away from home, it wasn't seen as a disaster.
'At Manchester United and Celtic, that's not the case.
'I saw an awful lot of top quality players arrive at Celtic and Rangers in my time, but they struggled. That was even though they were big-time players with big personalities.
'Often, they couldn't handle playing for the Old Firm.'
Grant added: 'I'd often wondered why so many hadn't played so well in Glasgow, but it was down to the pressure and constant scrutiny.
Roberts has spent the last 18 months at Celtic Park and won the Scottish treble last season
'For those reasons, it's a fantastic choice for Pat. I'm not surprised he's grabbed it with both hands. I don't think any of his other options would have given him that platform.'
Rarely were the heightened expectations of pulling on a Celtic jersey better illustrated than in the weekend draw with St Johnstone. Despite being undefeated domestically since May 11, 2016, Celtic's determination to play out from the back was met with audible groans of dissatisfaction from some.
As ludicrous as that may seem, to Grant, the demand to not just win but win with style is nothing new. It's a pressure he lived with on a daily basis for 15 years.
'Most teams in England are expected to get the odd result, but rarely win away from home,' he explained. 'If you win away in the Premier League when you are not one of the top teams, it's a shock.
'At Celtic, there's a different type of pressure altogether. You have to win home and away every week. You have to play well home and away every week.
Grant, who spent 15 years at Celtic, compared the pressures of playing for them to pulling on a Manchester United jersey and he believes that makes it a fantastic choice from Roberts
'You need to get into Europe and no matter who you are drawn against, you are expected to do well. The fans are disappointed if you don't. Brendan (Rodgers) touched upon that at the weekend after the team hadn't played particularly well against St Johnstone.
'In those circumstances, it's a difficult environment to play in. That adds to the expectation. It's not just about winning. You also have to perform to an extremely high level.'
The minute Grant set eyes on Roberts' diminutive frame at Craven Cottage, he felt it was only a matter of time before he would be flying the nest.
Just 15 months after being blooded in that 5-0 trouncing by City, the Manchester club put £12m on the table to take ownership of one of England's most prodigious talents.
After six months trying to make his presence felt at his parent club, Roberts agreed an 18-month loan deal to Celtic.
By popular demand, and at the player's behest, that will now be elongated by a season.
For Grant, as pleasing as the development of the player over the past three years has been, the real beauty of the new deal is that there remains room for improvement.
'He's got wonderful individual talent,' Grant continued.
'He's the kind of wide player that Celtic fans have always liked — he can take people, excite them and get them off their seats. The Celtic fans just love that.
'People often forget how young he is, but he can open doors at the highest level.'
Manchester City were so keen to offload Samir Nasri that they were happy not to make a single penny up front from his transfer to Turkey
Samir Nasri joined Turkish club Antalyaspor from Manchester City this month
City did not receive any money up front from the Frenchman's move
Nasri is being investigated by UEFA for an alleged breach of doping rules
Sportsmail understands that the Premier League giants were so keen to see the Frenchman leave they accepted a host of add-ons and a sell-on clause rather than a fee from the Turkish outfit to get him out.
As revealed in June, City feared Nasri could end up costing Antalyaspor £25m. The midfielder is being investigated by UEFA for an alleged breach of doping rules and the club were concerned that, should he be banned, they could be lumbered with paying £12.5m wages to a player who could not play and who had two years left on his contract.
While they would have sought legal advice should that situation have transpired, City remained determined to see Nasri, deemed surplus to requirements by Pep Guardiola, depart.
The £120,000-a-week international, who City paid Arsenal £24m for in 2011, joined Antalyaspor last week in a deal reported to be worth £3.2m.
However, that figure was actually the total sum of a number of clauses and no money changed hands initially. Instead, City settled for a number of performance-based and loyalty-triggered conditions.
They will also be due a substantial sell-on figure should the Turkish club decide to cash in on the 30–year-old. For that to happen it is likely Nasri would have to emerge unscathed from the ongoing UEFA probe.
The investigation was launched after a bizarre incident last December in which Nasri, then on loan at Spanish club Sevilla, appeared to use an intravenous drip at a Los Angeles clinic. If he is found to be in breach of anti-doping rules he could face a ban of up to four years, although two is thought to be more likely.
Nasri, who joined the Spanish club after allegedly reporting back overweight for Guardiola's first pre-season, made a visit to the LA intravenous therapy clinic 'Drip Doctors', who tweeted that they had provided the player with 'an IV drip to keep him hydrated and in top health during his busy soccer season with Sevilla'.
The Spanish Agency for the Protection of Health in Sport initially launched a probe, which is now being handled by UEFA.
Such treatments are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency unless administered in quantities of no more than 50ml per six-hour period, or when a certificate of special dispensation on medical grounds has been obtained.
Meanwhile, City are not expected to take any further action over the debacle at Bournemouth this weekend, which saw Sergio Aguero wrongly accused of assaulting a steward before the complaint was sensationally withdrawn when it emerged television footage showed that the Argentinian had done nothing of the sort.
The club could have launched their own complaint against the steward but have decided to deem the matter closed and move on.
PFA chief Gordon Taylor criticises the decision to send Raheem Sterling off for celebrating with fans: 'It could have been a lot more proportionate'
Mike Dean showed Raheem Sterling a second booking for his goal celebrations
Sterling had celebrated with some supporters who had edged onto the pitch
He had just scored a 107th-minute winner for Manchester City at Bournemouth
Gordon Taylor said: 'I think you have got to be prepared to show some leeway'
Players' union chief Gordon Taylor believes a sense of proportion was lost in the chaotic closing moments of Manchester City's last-gasp win at Bournemouth on Saturday.
Raheem Sterling netted City's winner in the seventh minute of time added on at the Vitality Stadium before being sent off for celebrating with fans who had reached the edge of the pitch.
City striker Sergio Aguero was later alleged to have assaulted a steward amid the pandemonium, but that claim was subsequently withdrawn.
Sterling had already been booked when referee Mike Dean deemed his celebrations - which saw him engulfed by bodies in a crowd of fans, players and stewards - excessive and therefore cautionable.
The laws of the game state a player must be booked for 'climbing onto a perimeter fence and/or approaching the spectators in a manner which can cause safety and/or security issues'.
Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, said: 'I think it is about keeping things in perspective.
'Even referees would say for a lad who has just scored the winner to celebrate - we know the strict letter of the law but it didn't look as though he intentionally ran off the pitch. He was celebrating, and the same (standard) was not applied with (the) Bournemouth (goalscorer).
Sergio Aguero was accused of assaulting a steward before the allegation was withdrawn
'You could say he should know that but you think, "Come on". It's very unfortunate. It is not something you want to see.
'I think you have got to be prepared to show some leeway when it's all about goalscoring and winning, keep things in proportion. From that point of view it could have been a lot more proportionate.'
Taylor was also bemused by the allegation against Aguero, which was not supported by TV footage, and thought the stewarding may have been heavy-handed.
Taylor said: 'Again, to have to talk about being assaulted you think, 'Hang on a minute'
'It's difficult when you haven't been there and seen the whole thing live, but it does seem as though if we are not careful things are getting out of proportion.
'It is about players' security and supporters' security but it is also about proportionate controls and not something that takes away from a good game.'
Sterling's goal handed City a 2-1 victory in the Premier League encounter.
Bournemouth have not commented beyond a statement issued on Saturday night making clear the assault allegation had been withdrawn.
CRAIG'S 'FAKE' WAG OF THE DAY FROM THE CAVE
(WARNING - Deffo NSFW!!!)
OTHER BOLLOX
Swansea are serious contenders to sign Bayern Munich's 20-year-old Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches. (Wales Online)
Chelsea are close to selling 28-year-old striker Diego Costa back to Atletico Madrid in a £30m deal. (Mirror)
Liverpool have had two bids rejected by Monaco for 21-year-old winger Thomas Lemar. (Sky Sports)
Crystal Palace are close to a £25m agreement with Liverpool for the signing of 27-year-old defender Mamadou Sakho. (Mail)
Brazil's team doctor Michael Simoni says Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho's back problem is due to stress over his future. The 25-year-old is a target for Barcelona. (Sun)
Juventus chief Beppe Marotta says the Serie A champions will make a fresh move for Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, 23, in January. (Premium Sport, via Talksport)
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, 34, will stay at Napoli despite an offer from Paris St-Germain. (AS - in Spanish)
Barcelona director Robert Fernandez says the club intend to sign one or two more players before the transfer window shuts, having completed a £135.5m deal for Borussia Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish)
Juventus have moved closer to signing Schalke's 29-year-old Germany defender Benedikt Howedes. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)
Everton will reject Olympiakos' offer for 29-year-old winger Kevin Mirallas. (Het Laatste Nieuws, via Talksport)
Norwich City are interested in Bristol City defender Aden Flint, 28, who is also a target for Birmingham City. (Birmingham Mail)
Midfielder Ravel Morrison, 24, is set to join Mexican club Atlas on a season-long loan deal from Lazio. (La Aficion - in Spanish)
Former Newcastle midfielder Remy Cabella, 27, is set to join Saint-Etienne on loan from Marseille. (L'Equipe - in French)
The Sun states Liverpool will again try to take Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk to Anfield
Manchester United have resurfaced a private road outside their Carrington training ground to protect their players' luxury cars. (Sun)
Barcelona's new £96m signing Ousmane Dembele failed to impress fans with an embarrassing attempt at kick-ups during his Nou Camp unveiling. (Mail)
Nottingham Forest fans appeared to come to blows as the City Ground ran out of pies during the weekend defeat by Leeds. (Mirror)
Romania manager Christoph Daum turned down the offer of a free fishing rod from a member of the country's press during a news conference on Monday. (Reuters, via Eurosport)
Paris St-Germain have reached an agreement for the loan of 18-year-old Monaco's France forward Kylian Mbappe with an option to buy for £166m. (L'Equipe - in French)
Liverpool have made an inquiry to sign 21-year-old Monaco's France midfielder Thomas Lemar for a club record fee of up to £55m. (Daily Telegraph)
Chelsea are optimistic a deal can be struck for £30m-rated Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater, 27, before Thursday's transfer deadline. (Daily Telegraph)
The future of Crystal Palace's Dutch manager Frank de Boer is in doubt after three defeats from the opening three games of the Premier League season. (Guardian)
West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic is battling to save his job after failing to secure a point in the first three games. (Sun)
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has left open the possibility of Belgium striker Divock Origi, 22, going out on loan provided the club can bring in players before the transfer window closes. (Liverpool Echo)
Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi is preparing to leave the Gunners for Inter Milan just a year after the Germany international, 25, joined them for £35m from Valencia. (ESPN)
GOLDEN BOLLOX - On this day in .... 2013
Liverpool to Make Offer for £7.5m Rated Man City Defender Joleon Lescott
Anfield side prepare move for experienced Etihad Stadium centre-back.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will look to strengthen his defensive options by looking to lure Man City centre-back Joleon Lescott to Anfield according to Sports Direct News.
The experienced former Everton man is likely to see limited action at the Etihad Stadium under new boss Manuel Pellegrini though the 31 year old has started both Man City’s opening Premier League fixtures he has only done so because young Serbian Matija Nastastic has been ruled out with an ankle injury and with experienced Argentine Martin Demichelis said to be on his way to the Premier League side it would appear to spell the end of the England international’s chances.
Rodgers has seen both Kolo Toure and Sebastian Coates suffer injuries and appears reticent to use Martin Skrtel, who was frozen out of first team action for much of the second half of the 2012/13 campaign, and this source believes £7.5m would be enough to bring in the Birmingham born defender.
Lescott may feel his chances of securing regular football would be more easily achieved back in Merseyside and clearly with a World Cup on the horizon a move to play as regularly as possible is key.
Though a move for Lescott certainly doesn’t adhere to Liverpool’s youthful transfer policy this may be a move that Rodgers pushes for as he looks to secure that all important top four finish.
Joe Hart is a class act despite recent mistakes, insists Gordon Banks
World Cup legend Gordon Banks is convinced England are in safe hands with under-pressure Joe Hart between the posts.
The Manchester City goalkeeper has come under increasing criticism after an error which led to a goal in the 3-2 Wembley win against Scotland earlier this month was followed by costly mistakes in Sunday’s 3-2 Premier League defeat to Cardiff City.
But Banks is convinced the 26-year-old is the best English goalkeeper of his generation and is not worried about his dip in form.
England coach Roy Hodgson has also expressed his faith in the City star ahead of the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine and Banks said: ‘Joe is one of the best goalkeepers in today’s game.
‘Don’t forget he has done very well for club and country for the past few years.
‘He has made a few mistakes just recently but we have all gone through phases like that.
‘The important thing is to be fully focused on the next save and have confidence in your ability. I am sure Joe will be just fine.’
Banks starred as Sir Alf Ramsey’s Lions won the 1966 World Cup but is best remembered for his amazing save from Pele’s point-blank downward header in Mexico four years later.
The 74-year-old former Stoke and Leicester star said: ‘It wasn’t until I saw it again at a recent dinner that I realised how close to goal he actually was.’
'We got £400,000 from City for a player we never actually signed'
PHIL Gartside has revealed the truth behind Didi Hamann’s infamous short stay as a Bolton Wanderers player.
Speaking on Talksport, the Whites chairman admitted for the first time that paperwork on the German international’s move from Liverpool had not actually been completed before he was sold on less than 24 hours later to Manchester City for £400,000.
Hamann was in the studio as Gartside recalled a deal often jokingly referred to by Sam Allardyce as “the best he has ever done.”
“The full story never actually came out,” Gartside said.
“What happened was Didi signed for us on a free transfer from Liverpool, came in, signed the papers, and then, for whatever reason, decided it wasn’t for you and that you wanted to reconsider.
“We said to you ‘I’m sorry about that, but you’ve signed’ but what you never realised was that we never actually countersigned the papers and just put them in the draw.
“The next thing we know, you came along and told us you’d got this opportunity to go to Manchester City – so we actually sold you without actually signing you, did you know that?
“We got £400,000 from Manchester City for a player we never actually signed. And that’s the truth.”
Gartside picked out relegation from the Premier League as the lowest point of his near 14-year reign as chairman, with qualifying for Europe under Sam Allardyce in 2005 the highlight.
And he also outlined some of the financial difficulties faced by the club since they dropped out of the top flight and failed to return at the first time of asking.
“Getting relegated from the Premier League, on day one you lose about £30million of revenue,” he explained. “That’s a fact of life and you lose the advantage of the TV money. The problem you have got is that having been in there for 11 years, you build up to a wage structure. You have got to compete, you can’t try not to, and so you build a structure that is Premier League and you can’t dismantle that on day one.
“You can build in some contingencies but we went from a £50m wage bill to a £25m wage bill in one hit when we got relegated. But £25m in today’s Financial Fair Play climate is not low enough.
“Our turnover, excluding TV money, is relatively modest compared to some of the bigger clubs. We haven’t got the massive fan base, so it’s very difficult.”
Pellegrini did not escape Old Trafford unscathed
The City boss was the subject of missile outside of the stadium
Manuel Pellegrini had objects thrown at him as he exited his car upon his arrival to Old Trafford on Monday night. The Manchester City manager was attending the match to scout Manchester United ahead of their Premier League derby on September 22nd but could not make it into the stadium without first facing the United fans.
According to The Guardian, upon being recognized while getting out of his car at Old Trafford, Pellegrini was forced to find cover as missiles were thrown at him, causing Old Trafford security officials to step in and assist the Chilean. Pellegrini did not want to take the issue any further after it was resolved but did reveal that he was thankful for the good treatment by the Old Trafford stewards.
City have split their first two matches of the season, winning 4-0 in a dominant performance against Newcastle in their opening match before losing 3-2 in the most surprising result of the season to newly promoted Cardiff City. The club is currently facing an injury crisis in the back four as Vincent Kompany, Matija Nastasic, and Micah Richards are all out injured, leaving Joleon Lescott as City’s only experienced center back.
City were forced to start defensive midfielder Javia Garcia at center back in the Cardiff match, a move that may have contributed to the side giving up three goals with two coming on set pieces.
MCF.net THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=46567
Manchester City have renewed their partnership with global beer brand Heineken.
The Dutch brewery will continue to serve as City's official UK beer partner on match days and during summer concerts until the end of the 2017/18 season.
As part of the four-year deal, which is exclusive to the UK and City's Etihad Stadium, the group's brands such as Foster's, Heineken and Strongbow will be served in the ground's concourse bars and hospitality facilities.
The new agreement builds on an existing 18-year relationship between the two parties which began at City's former stadium Maine Road and continued when the Blues moved to the Etihad Stadium in 2003.
City's chief commercial and operating officer Tom Glick said: "Heineken and its stable of brands have been a key part of our fans' match-day experience for more than 18 years.
"We're extremely proud of this relationship that has spanned nearly two decades and look forward to working together to continually improve the Etihad Stadium's beverage offering."
Heineken UK's on-trade managing director Lawson Mountstevens added: "We are delighted to extend our partnership with one of the most ambitious clubs in world football.
"Teaming up with Manchester City presents a unique opportunity to showcase our unrivalled portfolio of cider and beer brands to over 47,000 spectators, while trialling and developing new product and dispense innovation throughout the Etihad Stadium's state-of-the-art bars and hospitality facilities."
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