Wednesday morning’s Man City recap once again features the dominant story in English football. Plus a decidedly positive injury update and other squad new.
Man City Ready to Miss Out on Harry Kane if Tottenham Reject Improved Offer - Vayam Lahoti - City Xtra
City have told Spurs it’s now or never for the Harry Kane deal and City Xtra’s Lahoti lays out the reasons why.
As reported by Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail, City will walk away from a potential deal if Tottenham refuse to consider their improved offer for Kane this month, with several reports suggesting that the Etihad hierarchy are tabling a fee in the region of £120 million (plus add-ons) to sign the striker.
The Champions League finalists believe that they will be getting full value of a club-record sum if they manage to sign Kane, who turned 28 in July, before the end of the month, with the marksman’s age and injury history becoming an increasingly crucial factor for City.
Man City plans for final two weeks of transfer window centred on Harry Kane - Simon Bajkowski - Manchester Evening News
Bajkowski has City pursuing Kane with a singular focus.
Manchester City will focus their efforts in the remaining two weeks of the transfer window on signing Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
The England captain has been central to their wants and needs for months, and a 1-0 defeat to Spurs on their opening day of the Premier League campaign added to the pressure for the Blues to sign him. A breakthrough will be needed despite Kane’s desire to move in order to reach an agreement with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, whose £160m valuation of his prized asset remains significantly higher than what has been offered.
Bridging that gap will be where City’s work lies in the next fortnight rather than chasing other high-profile options.
Harry Kane will take up the bulk of #mcfc time in what's left of the transfer window https://t.co/FTJxd66C06
— Manchester City News (@ManCityMEN) August 17, 2021
Manchester City might just be able to acquire their perfect no.9 this summer - Zoheb Alam - Man City Square
Speaking of high-profile options, Zoheb Alam of Man City Square reports on the Ronaldo-to-City rumor.
With PSG securing the services of Messi, the Sky Blues, too, could get the opportunity to sign a world-class forward this summer. As per the latest claims by Corriello Dello Sport, it has been reported that Ronaldo has offered himself to Manchester City.
This Italian source has sensationally claimed that Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has apparently given a proposal to Guardiola for his most expensive client. And yes, this latest from development could be partially true, considering the fact that there have been rumours that the five-time Ballon D’or winner is open to an exit from Turin.
Man City get good news on Ilkay Gundogan injury after Tottenham scare - Simon Bajkowski - Manchester Evening News
Bajkowski also has the welcomed news on Gundogan’s shoulder.
Ilkay Gundogan could be back in the Manchester City team as soon as Saturday after initial assessments of the shoulder problem he picked up at Tottenham showed no serious damage.
The German midfielder looked in pain after the 1-0 defeat in North London on Sunday and Pep Guardiola did not sound too positive when discussing how it appeared at the end of the game.
However, while further tests need to be conducted later in the week club medics have seen enough to conclude that the injury will only keep Gundogan out for days rather than the worst-case scenario of months. While the home game with Norwich on Saturday afternoon may prove too soon for the 28-year-old to return, the fact that he has not yet been ruled out of that game shows the limited extent of the blow he suffered on Sunday.
Oleksandr Zinchenko Set to be First Choice Left Back - Saul Garcia - Bitter and Blue
After a star turn at Euro 2020, Oleks is back and ready to rejoin the XI.
Zinchenko has played well and until he proves he can’t handle the spot we should be fine there. The other two positions are crucial though and priority should be made to sign those players.
Giving Zincenko this vote of confidence should do wonders for his self esteem and we know he defends the shirt with love and true passion. Seems like a win-win.
Oleksandr Zinchenko Set to be First Choice Left Back https://t.co/Mq9v66h5cF
— Bitter and Blue (@BitterandBlue1) August 17, 2021
AKE SAYS CITY CAN DRAW ON THE EXAMPLE OF LAST TERM - Neil Leigh - ManCity.com
Neil Leigh has Ake’s thoughts on how to move forward after a flat effort Saturday.
Ake was also crystal clear on the immediate lessons to be drawn from Sunday’s opening encounter and said the squad were doubly determined to ensure a positive reaction this weekend
“Through the whole team I think we could have done better,” the Dutch international asserted.
“I think we were sloppy a lot of times on the ball and that is what brings the counter-attacks.
“For sure, we have to look at that this week and be ready for Saturday.”
Follow Bitter and Blue all day for all the City News. And look for another recap here tomorrow.