Sergio Aguero heads triple boost for Manchester City
Sergio Aguero is set to head a three-man list of returning stars when Manchester City take on Everton on Saturday.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini could welcome back captain Vincent Kompany and Edin Dzeko, as well as Aguero, for the trip to Merseyside after the trio all recovered from injuries.
Striker Aguero will be the main boost to Pellegrini, who had been forced to use James Milner as a makeshift striker at times over the hectic Christmas period.
The Argentine has returned to outdoor training and, according to the Manchester Evening News, is in line to make his first team return against the team he suffered his injury against.
Having damaged his medial collateral ligament against the Toffees in early December, Aguero was expected to be out for roughly six weeks, with Pellegrini saying at the time that his star man could even be absent for eight weeks.
Wilfried Bony: Sale from Swansea to Man City within 'next few days'
Wilfried Bony's sale from Swansea City to Manchester City should be completed soon, says his agent Francis Kacou.
The Premier League champions are in advanced talks with Swansea to sign the 26-year-old Ivory Coast striker for a fee expected to be in excess of £30m.
Kacou, speaking to Sky Sports, said he believed a deal for Bony was close to being finalised.
"It's about some small details about money but I think things will go all right in a few days," Kacou said.
"I will fly with him to Abu Dhabi and let's see what will happen."
Kacou added no other clubs had bid for Bony, despite previous reported interest from Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Instead it is Manchester City who seem set to sign Bony, who was the Premier League's top scorer in the calendar year of 2014 with 20 goals.
"Talks are going on and we are waiting but I really hope things will happen soon," Kacou added.
When interviewed alongside his agent, Bony said he was aware of the negotiations for his sale but is concentrating on the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
"It's going on, the discussion is still on, so now I am going to join my national team so just focus on that now," said Bony, who added he had not undergone a medical to move to Etihad Stadium.
"It's good to hear [of Manchester City's interest] - every player wants to play Champions League."
Bony joined Swansea for a club-record £12m from Vitesse Arnhem in 2013.
The fee being discussed would break the Welsh club-record sale of £15m that Liverpool paid Swansea for midfielder Joe Allen in August 2012.
Liverpool want Man City’s James Milner to replace Steven Gerrard
Liverpool have targeted Manchester City midfielder James Milner as their top target to replace Steven Gerrard, according to reports.
The England international is out of contract in the summer and the Reds want to lure him to Anfield on a free transfer, claims The Times.
Milner, aged 29, has reportedly told City team-mates that there is little prospect of him signing a new deal at the Etihad after talks over an extension broke down.
City have told their midfielder that there will be no improvement on an offer he received last month, and Milner is not thought to be impressed with the take-it-or-leave-it approach of the Etihad hierarchy.
The former Leeds, Newcastle and Aston Villa man is now free – as Gerrard was – to discuss and agree a move to an overseas club.
But it is the Reds who are said to be in pole position to land him.
Milner is a long-term target for Liverpool and his name has been mentioned regularly by the club’s infamous transfer committee.
Man City hopeful of keeping Milner amid Liverpool interest
Manchester City believe they can tie down midfielder James Milner to a new contract in the face of interest from Liverpool, the Daily Mail has reported.
Milner’s current deal expires at the end of the season and as he holds concerns over his role in the City squad, Milner has delayed putting pen-to-paper on an extension. The Reds are said to be monitoring the situation should Milner choose to end his stay at the Etihad Stadium, having moved to the club from Aston Villa in 2010.
City though feel Milner may stay, particularly after getting more of a run in the team in recent weeks. Former Leeds and Newcastle utility man Milner has also been used as an auxiliary striker in recent weeks as Manuel Pellegrini looked for a solution to an injury crisis that deprived him of Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Stevan Jovetic.
Milner, 29, has 170 appearances to his name for the Premier League champions, scoring 13 goals, and has won 53 caps for the Three Lions. He was also part of the City squad that won the FA Cup and the title under Roberto Mancini.
Villa force City to give in over Sinclair pay-off
Manchester City will have to agree to a £1m pay-off or drop the price to allow winger Scott Sinclair to join Aston Villa. The Citizens are demanding £2.5m for the 25-year-old, who has been nothing but a bit-part player since his £6m arrival from Swansea back in 2012. Sinclair earns £50,000 a week at the Etihad Stadium and is due £5m in wages over the remaining two years left on his deal. Villa are asking the Premier League champions to lower their current valuation by a further £500,000. The cash-strapped Villains want to hand that figure instead to Sinclair as part of his signing-on fee. City were already budgeting for a similar severance package at their end and may have no choice but to bite the bullet.
Chelsea are prepared to pay a £200m contract-release clause to sign Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, 27. (Daily Star)
Manchester United have made an offer for German central defender Mats Hummels, but Borussia Dortmund say the 26-year-old is not for sale. (Daily Express)
Meanwhile, United will accelerate contract talks with goalkeeper David De Gea, 24, after agreeing an 18-month deal with World Cup winner Victor Valdes. (DSSC).
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, 32, could leave the club at the end of the season and has been linked with a move across London to Arsenal. (Telegraph)
England winger Andros Townsend, 23, insists his long-term future is at Tottenham despite being consistently linked with a move away from White Hart Lane. (London Evening Standard)
Arsenal have had a £5m bid for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Marcelo Brozovic rejected. Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham, AC Milan and Valencia also want to sign the 22-year-old. (Daily Star)
Liverpool and England striker Rickie Lambert, 32, has emerged as an early transfer target for new Crystal Palace manager, Alan Pardew. (Guardian)
Greek side Olympiakos have made an attempt to sign Liverpool's Italy striker Mario Balotelli, 24, on loan until the end of the season. (Daily Express)
Liverpool midfielder Suso, 21, is set to join AC Milan on a four-year deal, with the move likely to go through either in January or the summer. (TalkSHIT)
Tottenham are ready to offer Emmanuel Adebayor, 30, to MLS clubs so they can refresh their strikeforce. (Times)
Manchester United look set to miss out on highly-rated Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard, 16, who may move to Real Madrid. (Manchester Evening News)
Ipswich are set to sign Republic of Ireland striker Noel Hunt on Thursday on a free transfer. The 32-year-old, who was released by Leeds on Wednesday, had a loan spell at Portman Road earlier in the season. (East Anglian Daily Times)
Arsenal are set to make a £4m move for 17-year-old midfielder Krystian Bielik, after a £2.4m bid was rejected by his Polish club Legia Warsaw earlier this week. (Sun)
Sunderland are one of a number of clubs looking at Celtic's £8m-rated centre-back Virgil van Dijk, 23. (Newcastle Evening Chronicle)
Remi Garde, 48, is keen to join Newcastle United as the club's new head coach - and is hoping to speak to managing director Lee Charnley this week to confirm his interest in the position. (The Northern Echo)
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, whose side are top of the Championship, has no interest in succeeding Alan Pardew as manager of Newcastle United. (TalkSHIT)
Ajax boss Frank De Boer is Newcastle's top target to replace Pardew, but the Dutchman will not take over at St James' Park until the summer. (Daily Mirror)
Pardew may have left his job because he was told by the club's owner Mike Ashley that he is going to sell them. (Telegraph)
Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, 34, reckons fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson, 24, is the perfect choice to become the club's next captain. (Sun)
The Premier League will start a week earlier next season to ensure fewer matches are played over the Christmas and New Year periods. (Daily Star)
Nottingham Forest owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi has asked the side's players if they still want manager Stuart Pearce at the club after a run of only two wins in 19 games. (Daily Mail)
Former Everton winger Pat Nevin fears his old club will be in a relegation battle at the end of the season. (Liverpool Echo)
Burnley defender Kevin Long suffered a terrible knee injury against Newcastle, which has needed surgery. "Operation went well. Morphine is awesome," tweeted the 24-year-old, who will be out for the season.
Explaining his loan move from West Ham to QPR, striker Mauro Zarate tweeted "I am very happy, it's an assignment for six months, but it's something I needed, and I want to play."
Liverpool defender Jose Enrique posts pictures on social media of him and his team-mates at a birthday party for Martin Skrtel, who turned 30 on 15 December.
And with Celebrity Big Brother returning to our screens on Wednesday, here is what Hull midfielder David Meyler tweeted on the subject: "There's more of a chance of me signing for Real Madrid than watching Celebrity Big Brother!"
Chelsea missed the chance to sign Eden Hazard for £100,000 when he was 16. The Belgium attacking midfielder, now 24, eventually joined the Blues for £32m in 2012. (Metro)
Brazil defender Dante is still the butt of jokes from his Bayern Munich team-mates over his country's 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat by Germany last summer. (Daily Mirror)
