GUARDIOLA'S PRIORITY: MAN CITY PREPARES £65M VALENTINO LIVRAMENTO BID TO BEAT RIVALS
Manchester City is preparing a huge £65 million bid for Newcastle's Valentino Livramento, but the defender is also a priority target for both Manchester United and his former club, Chelsea.
TEAMtalk says Manchester City really wants Valentino Livramento and might bid £65 million for him. Pep Guardiola is said to want this English defender most of all, but Manchester United and Chelsea are also in the mix.
Newcastle United has a job to do to keep Valentino Livramento. He's drawing lots of attention because he's gotten so much better while at St. James’ Park for a few years. Eddie Howe thinks he is very important and is trying to get him to sign a new contract.
Newcastle United is hopeful he'll renew, but it's tricky since big clubs want him. Chelsea is a big fan and would like to have their old academy player back since he fits what Enzo Maresca wants in his defense.
Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim needs a versatile, fast defender to fill a wing-back spot. Livramento fits the bill, but Manchester City is the main contender.
Livramento isn't worried about his future and is focused on Newcastle United, but he's open to moving to a bigger team. Pep Guardiola wants a right-back, and Manchester City could try to sign the 23-year-old as soon as they can. They may have wanted him last summer.
Manchester City might offer £65 million with bonuses, or even James Trafford as part of the deal. Newcastle United likes the keeper, but they don't want to sell Livramento just to get one. Plus, Newcastle thinks the 23-year-old is worth more, so Manchester City might need to pay a lot more.
If Manchester City wants Livramento in January, it could cost them. Waiting until summer might be better since things will be calmer, and Guardiola’s team could then try harder to sign him.
MANCHESTER CITY REACH FINAL STAGES FOR TROYES SENSATION MATHYS DETOURBET THIS SUMMER
Mathys Detourbet to join Man City! See how the club beat PSG to sign the Troyes winger while eyeing a Newcastle target.
Manchester City are closing in on a deal for Mathys Tel, Troyes’ highly rated young winger. Sources tell StadiumNest that talks are heading toward the finish line, and both clubs stand to benefit, especially Troyes, who want to secure promotion this season.
Back in January, we reported that City had been looking at rising talent in their network of sister clubs. Detourbet and his teammate Christ Batola, both at Troyes, caught their eye right away.
Paris Saint-Germain have shown interest in the pair too, but City Football Group are determined to keep both players within their system.
As things stand, Detourbet is set to sign for Manchester City this summer. The plan is for him to return to Troyes on loan for next season, giving him more time to play and develop.
Troyes, sitting at the top of the Ligue 2 table and aiming to get back to Ligue 1 for the first time since 2022/23, sees this arrangement as a win. Keeping Detourbet, who has four goals and seven assists from 35 matches, gives them a better shot at promotion, even as they sell him to City.
As for the second star, 16-year-old striker Batola, he’s expected to sign a new long-term deal with Troyes, which keeps him within the City Group setup for now. The city sees him as a future option; Batola has scored nine and assisted twice in just 21 appearances this season. Locking him down keeps his talent in their circle and gives them flexibility down the road.
City is moving quickly, especially with PSG sniffing around. They look set to land Detourbet and keep Batola as a prospect, showing off the strength of their global multi-club model.
Meanwhile, in terms of immediate signings, City remain focused on landing a Newcastle United player labelled as a “dream target", though they’re also exploring other options heading into the summer transfer window.
ERLING HAALAND CALM DESPITE FOUR-MATCH DROUGHT: "THERE'S NOTHING TO LOSE, NO PRESSURE"
Erling Haaland and Man City take on Arsenal at the Etihad. Get the latest team news and title race odds for tonight.
Man City sits second in the league, trailing the leaders by six points with six games left to play. Pep Guardiola’s squad, however, holds a game in hand over Arsenal.
If City manage to beat Arsenal today and then secure a win against Burnley, they could draw level on points with the North London club, maybe even surpass them depending on the goal difference.
So far, Haaland has netted 22 goals in 31 Premier League matches, but the Norwegian doesn’t see any extra pressure on City heading into this game. He’s gone without scoring in his last four outings.
“Right now, I’m quite calm,” Haaland told Sky Sports.
“It’s one game per week, which is pretty unusual for us. It hardly ever happens. Honestly, I don’t feel much nervousness because we’ve been chasing all season. There’s nothing to lose, so no real pressure.
“You’d have to ask Arsenal if they feel pressure. I can only speak for myself. I don’t feel much pressure because we’re still a fair way behind.”
Last season, Haaland had a memorable clash with Gabriel during a 2-2 draw at the Etihad. Gabriel shouted in Haaland’s face, and Haaland responded by tossing a ball at the Arsenal defender and telling their manager Arteta to “stay humble” after a heated exchange that also involved several other Gunners players, including ex-City forward Gabriel Jesus.
“It’s always a battle,” Haaland said about facing Arsenal.
“They usually have a lot of players around me, which actually works in my favour. It means something. It’s tough playing with many players crowding you, but it’s a good fight. As I said, it’s always good to test yourself against the best because that’s what you want.”
Arsenal, arriving today, has been inconsistent lately. They’ve only won once in their last five matches and narrowly scraped a 0-0 draw against Sporting Lisbon in their recent Champions League semi-final clash.
