MAN CITY will be given a second chance to sign Spain starlet Isco in the summer in a £30 million deal.
Attacking midfielder Isco, 21, is unsettled at Real Madrid as he is not a first choice under Carlo Ancelotti.
The Spanish international had agreed to join City last year and be re-united with his former Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini.
But Real then hijacked the deal – and City refused to get involved in an auction increased by agent fees allegedly driven by Isco’s father.
City boss Pellegrini was upset at the time – as is Isco now at his failure to establish himself at Madrid.
Former Chelsea boss Ancelotti has told Isco it’s a situation he’ll have to deal with. The player – whose full name is Francisco Roman Alcaron Suarez – is now deciding on his future and it’s believed he would seriously consider a move to City.
That would put the ball in the court of one of his mentors – Pellegrini.
City, who would face competition from AC Milan, would NOT be prepared to include Real target Sergio Aguero in the deal.
The Blues, meanwhile, are geared up for the visit of owner Sheikh Mansour for Tuesday night’s glamourous Champions League date against Barcelona.If he attends it will be his first appearance at the Etihad for almost four years.
How many times have you beaten Barcelona? Jesus Navas ponders the question. “Three times... at least.”
Champions League: I’ve beaten Barelona before and we can do it again now, says Manchester City's Jesus Navas
Barcelona are the greatest, cleanest brand in world football. They are the Welsh rugby team of the 1970s, the West Indies of Viv Richards and Michael Holding, the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1960, their great manager Helenio Herrera addressed journalists at Birmingham Airport with the words: “You English have much physical strength, but no method, no technique.” The script demands that they do not lose.
And yet the Catalans do lose and in England they lose quite a lot. Their first appearance in England came in October 1957 when they faced Birmingham City in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. They lost 4-3.
Since then they have been beaten at Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Leeds, Liverpool, Ipswich, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Newcastle. Only one English club, Liverpool, have ever won at the Nou Camp against Barcelona. One thing is clear: if Manchester City are to make the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the winning will have to be done tomorrow.
You imagine Navas and the man he played alongside, at both Seville and now in Manchester, will be City’s most obvious weapon at the Etihad Stadium. In March 2011 they combined to score Seville’s equaliser against Barça in the Ramon Pizjuan. Alvaro Negredo muscled his way past Dani Alves and cut the ball back for Navas to head home.
Usually, it has been the other way round. Negredo remarked he was so certain where Navas would put the ball that he would start his run without even looking up to watch the cross being struck.
“We have known each other for a long time,” said Navas. “We work together every day and we enjoy our football. But it is not only Alvaro, we have plenty of dangerous strikers for Barcelona to face. They won’t enjoy coming to Manchester. They will find we are a really difficult team to beat here. We are playing very well, creating chances, scoring a lot of goals. Barça won’t be happy to be here.”
Saturday’s emphatic victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup has soothed nerves that were starting to become frayed at the Etihad. Manuel Pellegrini suggested the storm that had forced the postponement of Wednesday night’s game with Sunderland had given his players a breathing space.
“The team wanted revenge,” said the Manchester City manager. “Not just for the League defeat by Chelsea but for the draw at Norwich. I didn’t think the team was fresh enough for those games.
“The moment the game against Sunderland was postponed, it gave them some relief. We could have a training session on Thursday and Friday and we haven’t been able to do that for two and a half months. That’s why I was absolutely sure we were going to play as well as we did against Chelsea.
“This will be two good teams coming together. It’s good for the fans, good for everyone. I love football, I love good matches and I don’t have any fear about playing Barcelona because this side has to develop the mentality to play against important teams. They have a great team and the best player in the world but this is a chance to show how good we are.”
Lionel Messi has scored only once in England – the goal came in the European Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley, in which he seemed utterly mesmeric. Messi warmed up for his return to the Champions League with two goals as Barcelona destroyed Rayo Vallecano 6-0 in the Nou Camp.
“What’s he like on the pitch?” Navas gave a little laugh. “Very difficult to stop, to be honest with you. You have to put pressure on him early, make sure you are close to him when he gets the ball – and don’t let him create space.”
There are suggestions that Barcelona are not the club they were. This season they have been beaten by Bilbao and Valencia and been unable to shake off the challenge from Atletico Madrid.
“They are still alive in all competitions,” said Navas. “Maybe they are not playing as well as they did three or four years ago but that’s normal; rivals study the way you play and find tactics to counteract your strengths. Cycles in football don’t last for ever.”
Navas pointed out that the Spanish champions are vulnerable to set pieces and counter-attacks, although Pellegrini’s plan is not to draw Barcelona in but to attack them from the off.
Even this far out from kick-off, it seems a dangerous strategy, especially as Fernandinho, the midfielder best equipped to shield Manchester City’s back four, is unlikely to start.
“The reality is that this type of game has served us really well this season,” said Navas. “It is a style that we particularly enjoy but it will be difficult to impose it on Barcelona because they also want a lot of the ball and it will be very intense on our side.”
It was a plan that came apart spectacularly against Bayern Munich, who cantered to a 3-1 win in October. “That wasn’t one of our best performances,” said Navas. “They scored very early on and that made things very difficult for us but you have to remember that in Munich we played very well after going behind and won playing our own style of football.
“Experience will be a factor in this tie but I hope it is not the decisive factor.”
Lescott confirms he's set to leave in summer
Blues ace is set to end five-year stay with the Blues, he reveals in an emotional interview after the victory over Chelsea.
Joleon Lescott has made it plain his five-year stay at City will come to a close in the summer.
In an emotional interview with the club’s own website, the big defender confirmed he is ready to move to pastures new after a spell with the Blues that has brought him a Premier League and FA Cup winner’s medals, with the chance of more honours to come this season.
Lescott played in City’s FA Cup win over Chelsea on Saturday when he re-formed the title-winning central defensive partnership with Vincent Kompany.
Asked about the skipper, Lescott - who almost left in the January transfer window - replied: “It’s been great playing alongside him over the past five years, and it’s a shame it is going to come to an end this season.
“It’s always nice to play. They are not coming as frequently as I would like, and I like to think I can do a job.”
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]Inter Milan are at the front of the queue to sign France playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa, 26, from Newcastle in the summer. Newcastle Chronicle
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho remains keen on a summer move for Real Madrid's 26-year-old midfielder Sami Khedira. Daily Express
Arsenal's attempts to sign Schalke's Julian Draxler, 20, failed in January because they did not meet the attacking midfielder's asking price, according to the Bundesliga club's sporting director Horst Heldt. Daily Mirror
David Beckham wants 29-year-old Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo to be part of his new Miami team in 2017.
Full story: Metro
Manchester United boss David Moyes will attempt to lure Barcelona midfielder Alex Song, 26, and forward Cristian Tello, 22, to Old Trafford in the summer. Caughtoffside
New Fulham boss Felix Magath has yet to clear up the confusion surrounding the future of predecessor Rene Meulensteen. sacking Sky Sports understands
Dutchman Meulensteen will face a fight to secure a pay-off from Fulham as the club also prepare to dismiss Ray Wilkins from their coaching staff. Guardian
Arsenal centre-back Per Mertesacker, 29, says they need "two perfect games" to overcome German club Bayern Munich in their last-16 Champions League tie. Daily Mirror
Real Madrid are likely to bid for Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, 26, as a possible alternative to Borussia Dortmund's Ilkay Gundogan because of the 23-year-old persistent injury problems. Bild
Manchester United manager David Moyes is willing to shell out 10 million euros (£7 million) for Juventus defender Martin Caceres, 26. Tuttosport
Arsenal have made up their mind to sign AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli after the 23-year-old indicated his desire to leave the San Siro. Lefigaro
Juventus could face competition in their pursuit of Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic, 27, as German side Wolfsburg have also entered the race to recruit the 27-year-old. Tuttosport
Arsenal, Juventus and Paris St-Germain would be willing to recruit 26-year-old Frenchman Karim Benzema if Real Madrid do not renew the forward's contract, which is due to expire in 2015. Macca
A derby clash in Israel between Hapoel Tel-Aviv and local rivals Bnei Yehuda was delayed after a rooster invaded the pitch and evaded the attempts of several security men to capture it. DSSC
Luis Suarez has been criticised by his grandmother after she was told to leave the luxury house she shared with the Liverpool striker's mother. A spokesman for the 27-year-old said "the family is united". Metro
more bollox later
