Manchester City
Premier League terminate £490 million TV deal in China
The Premier League has terminated its TV rights deal with China, its biggest overseas contract, leaving a huge hole in clubs’ finances. The deal with Chinese broadcaster PPTV was worth around £490m and had lasted only one of its three years. The conflict is said to have been around a fee of £160m that the Premier League was owed in March but did not receive. “The Premier League confirms that it has today terminated its agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its licensee in that territory,” a spokesman said on Thursday. “The Premier League will not be commenting further on the matter at this stage.” It is not known if the conflict is based purely on money or involves the escalating political tensions between China and the UK government. Boris Johnson announced in July that Hua...
Napoli president confirms Kalidou Koulibaly, Arkadiusz Milik are ‘on the way out’
In what will come as interesting news to Manchester City, Juventus and Roma, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed that Kalidou Koulibaly and Arkadiusz Milik are both poised to leave the club. Napoli and City have been haggling over a fee for Koulibaly for a number of weeks and it seems a compromise is close to being reached, with Napoli reportedly demanding in the region of €80m for the defender. While Milik has been linked with a move to Roma as a potential replacement for Edin Džeko, or to Juve as a replacement for Gonzalo Higuaín. “Koulibaly and Milik are both on their way out, transfer market permitting,” De Laurentiis told Canale 21 on Wednesday. “So, if the transfer market allows us to sell these two excellent players, we will know how to replace them. If not, then we...
Report: Bruce wants to bring Man. City defender to SJP, Barca also keen
According to Chronicle Live’s Lee Ryder, Newcastle United are currently searching for a left-back, and Manchester City’s Angelino is on their radar. However, the Etihad Stadium outfit value him around £25 million, realistically putting him out of Newcastle’s reach. The Spaniard spent the second-half of last season on loan at RB Leipzig, featuring in 18 games across all competitions, scoring once and assisting four others to help them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. Barcelona are also interested in the services of the 23-year-old as his future appears to be away from Man. City, and it’s hard to see Newcastle beating them to his signature. Leipzig also want to retain Angelino’s services, and Magpies’ boss Steve Bruce has to look elsewhere for the left-back he wants. They have ...
Mason Greenwood: It would be a ‘dream’ to see Lionel Messi in Premier League
Mason Greenwood has spoken to the press for the first time since his first England call-up last week. The Manchester United youngster is in line to make his international debut for the Three Lions in their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Iceland and Denmark. “It’s a dream come through,” Greenwood said when asked about his call-up. He got a phone call from Gareth Southgate while at home with his dad and said he was “over the moon”. His father, a level-headed man, was “buzzing” with the news, according to Greenwood himself. [embedded content] Greenwood’s journey thus far has been a remarkable one. From coming through the United academy, being the best player in every age group, to being an established starlet in world football. There’s no stopping this kid and it’s no surprise to an...
Man City top, Man Utd ninth; the Premier League Owners’ Rich List
Newcastle United’s failed takeover by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund leaves Sheikh Mansour as the richest owner in the Premier League. Mansour has transformed City’s fortunes since acquiring the club, but how does his wealth compare to the rest of the top flight? We take a closer look. 1. Manchester City – Sheikh Mansour – £23.3bn Mansour is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and also owns the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation. He completed a takeover of City in 2008 and his huge investment has helped the club win four Premier League titles. 2. Chelsea – Roman Abramovich – £9.6bn It doesn’t seem that long ago that Abramovich was changing the face of English football with his massive investment into Chelsea. However, things have moved on massively since his...
Gary Neville: I hope Lionel Messi doesn’t do very well for Manchester City
Gary Neville cannot see his former employers at Manchester United joining the race for Lionel Messi and hopes the mercurial Argentine “doesn’t do very well” if he ends up leaving Barcelona for Manchester City. A switch to England continues to be mooted for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner. Messi has informed those at Camp Nou of his desire to move on, with further talks set to be held with the Liga club’s board as he mulls over his options during a period of personal frustration. Neville believes a compromise will be reached that keeps the South American in Catalunya, with an all-time great merely “flexing his muscles” and sending warning signals to the Blaugrana. If a stunning switch were to be made, though, then the ex-United defender concedes that the Ethiad Stadium – alongside one-time ...
Bayern Munich make Lionel Messi transfer decision
Bayern Munich will not be making an audacious swoop to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona as they simply can’t afford it, according to club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. On Tuesday, Messi sent a fax to Barca officials indicating his desire to leave the club, requesting that he be let out of his contract. The Argentine is unhappy at the decline of the Blaugrana on the field, as in 2019/20 they failed to win any major silverware for the first time in 12 years. He is also disillusioned with how the club is being run at boardroom level. It was actually Bayern who arguably caused the final straw for Messi as it was the German side’s 8-2 destruction of Barca in the Champions League which led to Quique Setien being fired and then the player handing in his request to leave. Only a handful of clubs arou...
Manchester City, Inter Milan favourites to sign Lionel Messi
Manchester City and Inter are considered the favourites to sign Lionel Messi, according to The Independent. The 33-year-old shocked the world of football when he outlined his intention to leave Barcelona after 20 years at the club on Tuesday. There is confidence within Messi’s camp that the clause in his contract that would allow the Argentine to leave Barça for free will be triggered. However, the Catalans believe that clause has expired and will demand a transfer fee of around €700m for Messi. Manchester City are believed to be working on structuring a deal and the report states that a reunion with Pep Guardiola seems to be the most likely option if Messi does end up leaving the Camp Nou. Guardiola is believed to have been in contact with Messi in recent weeks to discuss a potential move...
Lionel Messi makes contact with Pep Guardiola over Manchester City move
Lionel Messi has reportedly already been in touch with Pep Guardiola over a possible switch from Barcelona to Manchester City this summer. City are among the contenders to sign the 33-year-old after he allegedly handed in a formal transfer request on Tuesday. The Argentina international enjoyed illustrious success playing under Guardiola at Barca between 2008 and 2012, winning four of his six Ballons d’Or during that period. According to Radio Catalunya, Messi has been in touch with the Catalan coach about reuniting at the Etihad Stadium in the coming weeks. Messi’s contract stipulated that he could leave on a free transfer this summer, but Barca insist that clause expired in June and it may now be a case of City waiting 12 more months. Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are also be...
UEFA supremo backs continuation of one-legged Champions League knock-out rounds
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has stated his belief that the current one-legged knock-out format of the Champions League’s quarterfinals and semi-finals should be considered as a full-time fixture in the competition as it is, in his opinion, “more interesting”. The one-off format, put together in order to finish up the season in a timely manner following the coronavirus-enforced suspension of sport around the world, has produced several upsets already, most notably Manchester City and Atletico Madrid being dumped out by Lyon and RB Leipzig respectively. Eight teams headed for Lisbon in August to play out the remaining fixtures on neutral ground in order to avoid squabbles over home and away advantages, and Ceferin believes having only one game to make it through makes for more exciting...
Claudio Bravo sends message to Manchester City fans following exit
Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has left Manchester City after four years at the Etihad Stadium. The 37-year-old joined the Premier League side from Barcelona in the summer of 2016, featuring in 61 games across all competitions and winning two Premier League titles and two League Cups. Bravo was Pep Guardiola’s first-choice goalkeeper during his debut campaign at the club, but he struggled to impress and was dropped to the bench following the arrival of Ederson the following summer. The Chilean was one of the best back-up goalies in the English top-flight and was always keen to prove himself anytime he was called into action. Bravo won’t be short of options following his City departure, and he has sent this message to the club and fans on Twitter: Thank you for all @ManCity a big pleasure...
Kevin De Bruyne sends emotional message as teammate leaves Man City
David Silva played his last game for Manchester City on Saturday night, and the midfielder will feel gutted after missing out on the chance to win the Champions League with the Etihad Stadium outfit. The Spaniard joined City from Valencia in the summer of 2010, and he ended up making over 430 appearances across all competitions, scoring 77 goals and assisting 140 others. Silva helped the side to four Premier League titles, three F.A Cups and four League Cups, and to say that he will be hugely missed will be an understatement. City star Kevin De Bruyne is sad to see the legendary midfielder leave, and he has reacted thus on Twitter: Sad to see this man leave the club after an incredible 10 years. It was an honour to play with and wish you all the best in the future my friend @21LVA pic.tw...
