Man City transfer news: Phil Foden, Frenkie de Jong, Bernardo Silva

Foden’s future in Italy?

Italian giants Juventus are stalking City wonder-kid Phil Foden, claims the Daily Mirror, and the contract uncertainty surrounding Foden “could see them land Man City starlet for just £175,000”.

Since shining for the Sky Blues in the summer friendlies, Foden has been scouted by a number of top European clubs.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

According to the Mirror the interest from Juventus is geniune, with the Italian champions “bang in the running to sign the teenager who is out of contract at the end of next season”.

Under pressure

Foden and City will sit down shortly in an attempt to thrash out his future, but Juventus have made it clear to the England Under-21 midfielder that there is a welcome waiting for him in Turin. Not just that, but a hefty wage packet too. That, says the Mirror, “will increase pressure on bosses at Manchester City to come up with not only a contract but also a plan for Foden”.

The 18-year-old knows he will remain a bit-part player at the Etihad for the foreseeable future and Juventus could capitalise on that fact by offering him more game-time in Serie A. Because of his age, Foden could be available for as little as £175,000 should he decide to leave having not yet penned a senior contract with City.

Going for a Jong

Perhaps the uncertainty surrounding Foden’s Etihad future is the reason that City are “set to break their transfer record on Ajax star Frenkie de Jong”. According to the Daily Star, the Sky Blues are homing in on the Dutch playmaker and that could spice up tonight’s Premier League clash with Tottenham, who are also admirers.

The north London outfit have made much of the early running for the 21-year-old de Jong, but now Pep Guardiola and the City board “have outmuscled Spurs financially for the Dutchman”, with the Lilywhites forced to count their pennies after the huge cost of rebuilding White Hart Lane.

Back in the summer, Tottenham tabled a £25m bid for de Jong, but that was met with derision by Ajax, who demanded twice that amount. The asking price has now rocketed to £71m and while that is way out of Tottenham’s league, City are apparently ready to hand over the cash. In doing so, adds the Star, they would break their transfer record of £60m given to Leicester this year for Riyad Mahrez.

Silva to stay

Meanwhile the Star also has an update on Bernardo Silva’s Sky Blues career - and it’s good news for the Citizens’ faithful. The paper says that the club “are ready to hand a new contract” to the 24-year-old Silva, despite the fact he has four years to run on his current deal. But that’s an indication of how highly Guardiola regards the Portuguese midfielder, who “is viewed at the Etihad as the long-term successor to namesake David Silva”.