Man City transfer news: Inter eye double deal for David Silva and Eliaquim Mangala

Man City transfer news: Summer move for Lionel Messi is on

20 March

There are renewed rumours in the Sunday Express that Manchester City will make a move for Lionel Messi in the summer.

The Argentine turns 30 in June and according to the Express he is "struggling to agree a new set of terms" with the Catalan club, and that could prompt his departure from the club this summer. Barca have recently given whopping new deals to a number of players, including Luis Suarez and Neymar, but they are reluctant to meet the £650,000-a-week wage demands of Messi, now that he's approaching the twilight of his career.

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With Guardiola ready to axe "as many as 18 members of their squad" in the summer, the club will have the spare cash to offer Messi an attractive package, and they are also confident that any deal would "pay for itself in a matter of months through shirt sales".

According to The Sun, City and Chelsea are squaring up for a summer scrap over Bayern Munich sharpshooter Kingsley Coman.

Nearing the end of a two-year loan spell from Juventus, Coman has so impressed Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti that he wants to sign him on a permanent deal. The Sun says the German giants have tabled an £18m bid but Juventus "know they can rake in a lot more from elsewhere". More specifically - England, with Chelsea and Manchester City both reportedly ready to table £43m bids for the France international.

While Chelsea boss Antonio Conte sees Coman as capable of filling the void left by Diego Costa, should he leave, Guardiola believes he would be a ready-made replacement for Jesus Navas, widely tipped to leave the Etihad in the summer.

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Man City transfer news: Keylor Navas in, Claudio Bravo out

17 March

Guardiola to ditch Chilean keeper, but is his choice of replacement wise? Latest Man City transfer news and gossip.

Manchester City are ready to ditch goalkeeper Claudio Bravo following a dismal season that has seen them dumped out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage and fail in their bid to win the League title.

According to The Sun Pep Guardiola is "ready to dump" Bravo in favour of Keylor Navas, despite the fact the Manchester City boss only signed the Chilean gloveman from Barcelona last summer having unceremoniously offloaded Joe Hart.

The Sun says that Bravo "has endured a torrid time" in the Premier League, and after being dropped from the first team will be sold in the summer with Spanish paper AS claiming that Guardiola "will turn to Navas".

But is that wise? After all the Costa Rican keeper has blundered on more than one occasion at the Bernabeu this season, which is why Real Madrid are said to be more than happy to let City have Navas. Remarkably, despite his gaffes, City may face competition from Liverpool, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

As for who Real Madrid will buy to replace Navas, Talksport claims that they are eyeing up AC Milan prodigy Gianluigi Donnarumma, the 18-year-old who earlier in the season was mooted as a possible target for one or two Premier League clubs.

Finally, Goal.com claims that Guardiola is circling Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich as the Spaniard looks to freshen up his failing squad in the summer. The versatile Kimmich, also adept in defence, is said to be one of City's prime targets in a rebuilding programme that could see the club shell out £200m in new signings. As for possible departures, the Daily Express says that among those likely to leave are Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy.

Man City transfer news: Southampton join hunt for Joe Hart

13 March 2017

Saints could lose Fraser Forster this summer and want Hart as replacement - all the latest Southampton transfer news and gossip

With rumours growing on the South Coast that Everton are planning a summer swoop for Fraser Forster, Southampton have identified the England gloveman's successor - and they want Joe Hart.

According to The Sun, the Saints are "quietly teeing up a move" for the Manchester City outcast, who is currently on loan with Italian outfit Torino. The future of Hart remains unclear with the 29-year-old saying last week that it was by no means certain he would return to the Premier League next season.

Torino would love to keep Hart and he's expressed his satisfaction with life in Serie A, but it may come down to money and whether the Italians can offer him a suitable wage package.

"He is happy to stay in Turin and we can work on it," said Torino president Urbano Cairo. "It depends on City, but I think Hart would be happy to remain. We'll see what City have in mind and want to do."

It seems certain that Pep Guardiola won't bring Hart back to the Etihad and the Sun claims that the City gaffer would be happy for him to stay in Italy or make a move to a club like Southampton, not a side regarded by the Sky Blues as one of their main rivals.

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Man City transfer news: Joe Hart rules out Etihad return

10 March

Joe Hart may stay overseas next season, reports BBC Sport, despite numerous rumours in recent weeks linking him with a return to the Premier League.

In an interview with the BBC’s Premier League Show, the 29-year-old keeper reflected on his departure from Manchester City last summer, when Pep Guardiola decided to loan Hart to Italian outfit Torino.

"I would like to say it [leaving City] was really bad, but it wasn’t," said Hart. "I kind of saw it coming, you just pick up vibes and so it wasn’t a surprise."

Adding that he respected Guardiola's "honesty", Hart said he didn't see himself returning to the Etihad. "I’d say I’m pretty much surplus to requirements at my parent club at the moment and I don’t see that changing."

Asked if he saw himself returning to the Premier League next season (with Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool all linked to him recently), Hart said: "I wouldn't say it was top of my wish list. Top of my wish list is to play for a club that wants me to be their goalkeeper... I’m enjoying playing for Torino, I’m here until the end of the season and I haven’t thought about where I’ll be after that."

Although he said earlier in the week that the main focus in the summer transfer market would be on youth, Pep Guardiola also has his eye on one of Europe's experienced campaigners, reports The Sun.

According to the paper, the City gaffer "wants to sign Dani Alves" and use his vast knowledge to bolster his back four. Taking Italian rag Corriere dello Sport as their source, the Sun says that Guardiola is desperate to sign Alves - whom he brought to Barcelona from Sevilla in 2008 - despite the fact he's 33 and in the twilight of his career.

Alves has been unable to settle since joining Juventus and the Italian press reports that he would be open to the idea of hooking up with his former gaffer at the Etihad. What's more, Juventus "would be happy to let Alves leave" as they have their eye on the highly-rated 24-year-old defender Mattia Di Sciglio, currently with AC Milan.

Man City transfer news: Youth over experience for Guardiola

08 March

Pep Guardiola has spoken of his determination to bring in young new talent next season, signalling that he intends to rebuild the Sky Blues in his own image after inheriting an ageing squad last season.

In comments reported in the Daily Star, the Spaniard says of his transfer plans this summer: "We are buying for the long term... maybe we are going to buy a guy who is 28 or 29 years old because we are short in that position and he is going to give three or four important years - but of course, as young as possible is much better."

But one young gun who won't be coming to the Etihad next season is rising Juventus star Moise Kean. According to Talksport the 17-year-old frontman has been tailed by City and Arsenal this season after he emerged from the junior ranks to make his first senior appearances in both Serie A and the Champions League. Apparently City had hoped "to sign the Italian wonderkid on the cheap" because he is yet to agree his first professional deal but Juventus have moved first, tying down the teenage sensation to a new deal that runs until 2020.

Finally, ESPN claims that City will make a move for Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford at the end of this season. With neither Claudio Bravo nor Willy Caballero cutting the mustard, Pep Guardiola is looking around for a more reliable gloveman and he has apparently identified the 22-year-old Black Cats keeper.

According to ESPN "a number of scouts from Premier League clubs" have watched Pickford closely in recent weeks - with Arsenal and Liverpool among them - but City are expected to table the first bid.

Man City transfer news: £60m William Carvalho is top target

6 March

There's what The Sun describes as "a triple swoop" being planned at the Etihad with the Sky Blues poised to pounce for William Carvalho, Ryan Bertrand and Ben Gibson in the summer.

The trio with set back City in the region of £115m as Pep Guardiola "looks to transform his squad".

Top of his summer shopping list is Portugal star Carvalho, who comes with a £60m price tag, which would represent a club record signing. But apparently Guardiola regards the Sporting Lisbon star "as his new midfield enforcer" and hence his willingness to push the boat out financially.

As for Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand, he would cost £30m, although City will first have to persuade the Saints to sell with the Sun reporting that they "will fight tooth and nail to keep the 27-year-old".

Guardiola had earmarked the Tottenham duo of Danny Rose and Kyle Walker as his priority signings but having sounded out Spurs he realises he has no chance of luring them from the Lane. That's why he's turned his attention to Bertrand and also Middlesbrough skipper Ben Gibson, who would cost £25m and also increase the number of homegrown players in the City squad.

According to the Daily Mail as part of Guardiola's transformation of his squad long-serving defender Pablo Zabaleta is likely to leave. The 32-year-old is one of the few players to have experienced life at the club before Sheikh Mansour bought City in 2008, but he's admitted it may be time for a change of scenery.

"I know my contract expires at the end of the season," he said. "I want to be honest with the club, myself and everyone. It I decide to stay, I will stay. If I decide that it is time to move on, I will move on. Until then, I don't want to talk too much about it."