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€40m Liverpool, Aston Villa target ‘ready’ to accept Premier League transfer due to his ‘clear priority’
AdminAccording to reports, Belgium and Rennes winger Jeremy Doku is ‘ready’ to accept a move to the Premier League amid interest from Liverpool and Aston Villa.
Doku has often made a big impact when he’s played internationally for Belgium and he has consistently been linked with a move to the Premier League over the past couple of years.
The 21-year-old has arguably been more inconsistent when he’s played for Ligue 1 side Rennes but he grabbed seven goals and four assists in his 35 appearances last season across all competitions.
Jurgen Klopp is reportedly a major admirer of Doku, with it being reported last October that the German head coach has ‘never forgotten’ about the winger.
Caught Offside are now reporting that Doku is ‘ready to reject a Serie A transfer for the Premier League’.
Liverpool and Aston Villa are ‘among the clubs interested’ in the youngster, but Unai Emery’s side are said to be the team ‘showing strongest interest’ in him while they ‘wait to find out what happens with Moussa Diaby’.
Liverpool meanwhile have ‘made recent checks on Doku’ but they are currently ‘focused on strengthening other areas of their squad including midfield and defence’.
A separate report from Football Insider has claimed that Liverpool want to sign two more midfielders before the summer transfer window closes. This comes amid the imminent departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia.
As for Doku, the report from Caught Offside adds: ‘Doku has impressed in Ligue 1 and wouldn’t be short of suitors elsewhere in Europe either, though CaughtOffside understands he has made a move to England his clear priority, even though he’s also been approached by both AC Milan and Napoli in recent months.
‘Rennes would likely ask for around €40m to let Doku leave, so it remains to be seen if Villa or someone else view that as good value for money or if they try to negotiate that down.
‘Much will likely depend on Diaby’s decision, with the Frenchman currently being targeted by both Villa and clubs in the Saudi Pro League.’
Towards the end of last year, journalist Robin Bairner claimed that Doku’s “issue” has been his lack of consistency.
“The trouble with Jeremy Doku isn’t necessarily his talent. We’ve seen, particularly in the European Championships, just how good a winger he can be. He was devastating for Belgium against Italy,” Bairner told GiveMeSport.
“But his issue has just consistently been, since he moved to Rennes, staying fit. Again, he’s just been injured, he’s just coming back from injury now. It seems to be a repeating cycle with him.
“He’ll come back for two or three games then find himself injured for two or three months, and he doesn’t really get any consistency in his performances.
“I think that has to be a red flag for a team like Liverpool who are generally so strong in the transfer market, who pick up players who have got a strong mentality, who don’t get injured and can fit into their team straightaway.”
[football365]
While FC Barcelona have already signed Gundogan and are also close to unveiling Oriol Romeu as their fourth summer signing, the club is still linked with another midfielder to further complement the midfield department. This midfielder is Bernardo Silva, who has been attracting the Catalan club’s attention since at least the last year.
According to SPORT, the name of Bernardo Silva is still alive and fresh around the Barcelona offices. Both Xavi and the higher executives like the Portuguese player, but as was the case last summer, the Blaugranes simply do not have the money to undertake such a big operation.
Barcelona’s interest in the player has been highlighted by one of the latest reported development. According to the report, some young fans in Barcelona repeatedly asked President Joan Laporta if the club is going to sign the Portuguese. In response to these questions, Laporta answered with a smile “I would like to”.
Bernardo Silva is an important part of the Manchester City squad that won the treble last season, and Pep Guardiola would be extremely reluctant to let the player leave. The Portuguese made 55 appearances for the Citizens in their most successful campaign, scoring seven goals and giving eight assists.
FC Barcelona would want to put the icing on the cake to their summer business by adding another interior midfielder, ideally Bernardo Silva, to their squad. However, their financial strength constraints the degree of action they can take in the transfer market, and allows only a player like Lo Celso on loan for now, before the club can move for a permanent transfer later.
[barcanewsnetwork]
Newcastle United continue to be linked with signing Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, who now looks even more certain to leave Old Trafford this summer.
With Eddie Howe looking to add another centre-back to his squad ahead of next season, there have been rumours that Maguire could swap the North West for the North East.
It has been claimed that Newcastle are interested in the England international, with the Magpies open to signing him on loan. That is in contrast to a permanent deal, with Man United looking to receive up to £50million for the defender.
A permanent move would obviously be preferred by the Red Devils, and the latest decision from Erik ten Hag has increased the likelihood of Maguire departing this summer.
Harry Maguire ready to leave Manchester United after Erik ten Hag decision
According to the Sun, Newcastle are still interested in signing Maguire, who is ‘angry’ after being stripped of the captaincy at Old Trafford.
It was confirmed on Sunday that Maguire would no longer be the Manchester United captain, despite having the armband since he joined the club for £80million back in 2019.
The report states that he is now ready to leave the club, and that Man United will likely lower his asking price from £50million to £30million.
With Maguire no longer the captain, an exit feels inevitable. It will surely be difficult for him to stay and be led by someone else after four years of leading the players out. Staying would create a difficult dynamic behind the scenes, and could create further issues down the line.
Erik ten Hag’s decision to change his captain is a brave one, and one that could have a negative impact if Maguire is not sold or loaned out.
That opens the door for someone like Newcastle to make a move, who continue to be linked. However, his £190,000-a-week wages make a switch to St James’ Park pretty much impossible.
[geordiebootboys]
The top women’s footballers on the planet will be in action when the World Cup kicks off on Thursday in Australia and New Zea
Alexia Putellas (Spain)
29-year-old attacking midfielder is considered by many to be the best women’s footballer in the world.
Winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or in each of the last two years, in February she retained her crown as The Best Fifa’s Women’s Player for 2022, despite missing the second half of the year with a serious knee injury.
Barcelona star Putellas is the first woman to reach 100 caps for Spain and they badly missed her creativity and goals at the 2022 European Championship, where they lost to eventual champions England in the quarter-finals.
Putellas was among the Spanish players demanding change within the national side, but did not join in with 15 players who last year asked not to be called up, amid differences with coach Jorge Vilda and the Spanish football federation.
Sam Kerr (Australia)
If the co-hosts are to go far at the World Cup they will need Chelsea forward Kerr firing on all cylinders.
The 29-year-old Australia skipper made her international debut aged just 15 and has played over 120 times for her country, averaging a goal every other game. She scored five times at the 2019 World Cup.
Her numbers are just as impressive at Chelsea, hitting 29 goals in 38 appearances this season.
Kerr is such a big name at home that she was Australia’s flag-bearer at the coronation of King Charles.
Megan Rapinoe (United States)
She needs little introduction as the most instantly recognisable player in women’s football.
The attacker has played 199 times for the United States, scoring 63 goals and making 73 assists. She has won the World Cup twice. Now Rapinoe plays in the United States for OL Reign.
She is set for retirement at the end of this season and is something of a fading force at 38, but she remains the face of women’s football for the casual fan.
Off the field, the openly gay Rapinoe is outspoken on a number of issues that go beyond sport, including advocating for LGBTQ rights.
Keira Walsh (England)
England’s hopes of winning the World Cup for the first time have taken a hit with the injury loss of several key players, putting even more onus on midfielder Walsh.
Barcelona snapped her up from Manchester City for a reported 400,000 pounds (US$508,000) last September, a world record for a woman footballer.
With her passing, reading of the game and ability to win the ball back, Walsh was instrumental in Sarina Wiegman’s England winning the Euro on home soil in 2022.
She was named player of the match when England defeated Germany 2-1 in the final at Wembley in extra time.
Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
The Norwegian was the first winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or, in 2018, and is a prolific striker with leading French side Lyon.
Her Norway career has been stop-start, however. She withdrew from the international scene in 2017, citing concerns over the inequality of treatment given to men’s and women’s teams by the Norwegian federation. She only returned last year.
The 28-year-old forward has also been dogged by injuries.
But when on form and firing she is one of the best players in the world, and averages more than a goal a game for her club.
She is the all-time top scorer in the Uefa Women’s Champions League with 59 goals. — AFP
[malaymail]
Asmir Begovic is reportedly set to join Queens Park Rangers after his departure from Everton.
The goalkeeper joined the Toffees from AFC Bournemouth on a free transfer in the summer of 2021. He served as back-up to Jordan Pickford during his two seasons at Goodison Park, making a total of 10 appearances. Everton were keen for Begovic to extend his stay but he opted to turn down a new contract.
The former Chelsea and Stoke City stopper has been weighing up his options since opting to leave Merseyside.
Premier League new-boys Luton Town had been suggested as one possible destination for Begovic. But West London Sport reports that Begovic has decided to drop to the Championship and his switch to QPR will be confirmed today. The London side finished 20th in the table last season.
[liverpoolworld]
Barcelona have already closed three signing this summer. Vitor Roque will only join the team a year from now, but Inigo Martinez and Ilkay Gundogan are already in Catalonia for the new season.
The German midfielder is set to be presented later today and will immediately link up with Xavi Hernandez in training. With Oriol Romeu also on the brink of completing his move to Barcelona, the focus is now on sales.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, the Blaugranas still believe that they can complete a big sale this summer. Their effort so far have not borne any fruit, but there is now a clear idea of the players considered saleable.
Pablo Torre and Nico Gonzalez are two stars who are on the brink of sealing an exit. Both players will leave the club on loan given the severe competition in the middle of the park.
The administration also has its focus on shipping out other players who spent the previous season on loan at various clubs. Of the six players on that roster, only Samuel Umitti is no longer on the club’s wage bill having terminated his contract.
Barcelona are working hard to reach an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur over Clement Lenglet’s transfer, while Alex Collado is very close to completing a move to Real Betis.
The two remaining players, Sergino Dest and Ez Abde will likely travel to the USA with the team, hoping to impress Xavi Hernandez and win a spot under his tutelage. Ironically, the former makes the trip as a result of having no offers on the table while the latter does so through merit.
Apart from the petty loans and minor moves, Barcelona hope to complete at least one large-sum departure in the coming weeks. Three candidates sit strong on that front- Ansu Fati, Raphinha and Ferran Torres.
Of the trio, the Brazilian winger appears to have the lowest chance of leaving considering his impressive form last season. The departures of the other two will depend on their willingness to explore new avenues, something they have not shown so far this summer.
[BarcaUniversal]
Jack Butland wasn't prepared to spend any longer on the Manchester United bench and chose to join Rangers in order to play regular football.
The former England international goalkeeper, 30, secured a loan move to United for the second half of last season from parent club Crystal Palace. Butland didn't make a single appearance whilst backup to David de Gea, who's also moved on from Old Trafford.
Having never truly made his mark at Palace over three seasons with the Eagles, Butland decided upon his release in June that he'd find a new club where he could be No.1. Scottish giants Rangers promptly snapped up his signature to give him the opportunity which he craved.
"As much as I enjoyed Palace and as good as United was, I missed playing. And that's important to me," the 30-year-old affirmed, as quoted by the Scotsman. "All right, 'Could you be at United?' Well, yes, but what would the rest of my career look like? That was important to me. I wanted 30 onwards to be something l like back on as a successful period and not one that drifted away."
During his first few years in the professional game, Butland was tipped to be a future England No.1 but after moving to Stoke and suffering relegation from the Premier League, his stock dwindled. Now looking to reset at Ibrox, the ex-Birmingham star is eager to put the past few years behind him.
"I mean, I am still 30," Butland reiterated. "There's a long way to go. A lot happened early. If I went through my career without any setbacks and without any moments it would have been a miracle. These things happen. One or two of them happened at a good time, not in my prime if you like."
[mirror]
On the eve of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Johnson flagged that expansion of the A-League Women’s competition and the lowering of costs associated with playing in the second-tier National Premier League needed to be addressed.
And he was adamant that increasing community pathways would help create the growth FA was pursuing.
“That requires investment from federal and state government, mainly, and in particular because of the number of participants we’ve got across the country we need community fields, otherwise we can’t grow,” Johnson said.
“Queensland has become the second-biggest participant state in the country.
“We know in Australia there’s a correlation between our national teams and participation.
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson.CREDIT:FOOTBALL AUSTRALIA/GREGG PORTEOUS
“If we go back to the men’s World Cup in Qatar, what we’ve seen post that competition is a 10 per cent increase in participation across the country.
“One of the objectives of us bringing the Women’s World Cup to Australia was for exactly this purpose, we wanted to see a large increase in participation ... and we’re forecasting that post the Women’s World Cup there will be another 20 per cent on top of that 10 per cent of participants that will start playing the sport.
“I think the bigger challenge in Queensland for our sport is the community facilities, because what we don’t want is kids not being able to play because there’s not enough fields, and that is an issue.”
With the 2023 Women’s World Cup to kick off on Thursday, Johnson said FA had already started planning for what was to come next.
On that radar is the Women’s Asia Cup, and even further down the track the Men’s 2034 World Cup.
Football Australia’s Legacy 2023 Key PointsCREDIT:CANVA
Johnson believed Australia’s time zone, shared with markets less dominated by soccer, would give the nation a competitive advantage in securing more marquee events.
“Playing a major tournament in this time zone is different because you’re not in the typical time zone for world football,” Johnson said.
“We’re in the same time zone as countries like Indonesia, China, Thailand, Philippines, the west coast of the United States, India – these are big markets and high-growth markets for world football.
“This opportunity to watch top-tier football in this part of the world, in this time zone, I think will create legacy for the region and that’s important for the question ‘what’s next?’
“If we’re that country together with New Zealand, that moves the dial in world football, it will be easier to get bids in the future.
“The 2034 Men’s World Cup? Maybe.
“But also let’s not forget we’re bidding for the Women’s Asia Cup, and we’re up against Saudi Arabia, and we’re in the mix.
“We hope that the success of delivering the best-ever Women’s World Cup lands us that competition.”
[theage]
The Gunners, who drew 1-1 with FC Nurnberg in Germany on Friday, are flying out to the US this afternoon, where they are due to face an MLS All-Star XI coached by Wayne Rooney at Audi Field in Washington DC on Wednesday evening.
Arsenal then move on to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to meet Premier League rivals Manchester United on July 22, before closing their tour against Barcelona at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles four days later.
Arteta has now named his squad for the trip, headlined as expected by Rice, who finally completed his club-record £105million transfer from West Ham and trained at London Colney for the first time on Saturday.
He is joined by fellow new signings Jurrien Timber, who officially signed from Ajax in a £40m deal on Friday, and Kai Havertz, who made his debut against Nurnberg after a £65m switch from Chelsea completed last month.
The rest of the travelling squad is very familiar, with Arsenal confirming that they expected the likes of Thomas Partey, who has been linked with a summer exit from the Emirates, and Emile Smith Rowe to join their team-mates Stateside next week.
The club added that “the players who are not part of the squad will be working hard on their fitness and/or recovering from injury”.
Among the players not heading across the Atlantic are Cedric, Pepe and Lokonga, all of whom are expected to leave Arsenal before the summer transfer window closes.
In Pictures: Declan Rice Joins Arsenal
However, Belgian midfielder Lokonga, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Crystal Palace, missed the trip to Germany with a muscular injury and is likely to remain short of fitness.
He wrote on Instagram last week: “Due to a small muscular injury, I’ll sadly not be part of the summer camp with the team in Germany. I’m focus[ed] now on my recovery to prepare the season and be ready to help the team at my fullest capacity.”
Reiss Nelson’s absence is presumably due to an unspecified injury, with the winger having only signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal earlier this month.
Rob Holding, who has been linked with a move to Turkish giants Besiktas, is in the squad, while many of Arsenal’s recent injury absentees - including Takehiryo Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, Fabio Vieira and Mohamed Elneny - are all travelling.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner is not involved having recently been on Gold Cup duty with the United States, while, like England winner Smith Rowe, Nuno Tavares has been afforded more holiday after spending his early summer at the European Under-21 Championship in Romania and Georgia with Portugal.
Arsenal squad for USA tour in full
1 Aaron Ramsdale
2 William Saliba
3 Kieran Tierney
4 Ben White
6 Gabriel Magalhaes
7 Bukayo Saka
8 Martin Odegaard
9 Gabriel Jesus
11 Gabriel Martinelli
12 Jurrien Timber
13 Alex Runarsson
14 Eddie Nketiah
15 Jakub Kiwior
16 Rob Holding
18 Takehiro Tomiyasu
19 Leandro Trossard
20 Jorginho
21 Fabio Vieira
25 Mohamed Elneny
26 Folarin Balogun
27 Marquinhos
29 Kai Havertz
31 Karl Hein
32 Auston Trusty
35 Oleksandr Zinchenko
41 Declan Rice
45 Amario Cozier-Duberry
Manchester City’s recent success is highlighted by a quick glance at their net spend per trophy over the past 10 years, with Arsenal, Liverpool and the rest following behind.
Bankrolled by billionaire owners, Premier League clubs have been throwing money at new players in the hope it translates to results on the pitch.
Using data from Transfermarkt, we’ve looked at the net spend per trophy won for the ‘big six’ Premier League clubs since 2013-14.
Note: we’ve not included the Community Shield as a major trophy.
The figures show that City are obviously dominating in terms of getting a return on their investments, and while Arsenal have closed the gap considerably, failure to win silverware means their recent heavy investment is looking a little desperate.
Manchester United have the biggest net spend of any Premier League side since 2014, which doesn’t reflect well on their trophy haul since then.
1. Arsenal
Transfer expenditure: €1.37billion
Transfer income: €381.8million
Net spend: €992.09million
Trophies won: 4
Net spend per trophy: €248.02million
2. Chelsea
Transfer expenditure: €2.09billion
Transfer income: €1.37billion
Net spend: €718.38million
Trophies won: 8
Net spend per trophy: €89.80million
3. Liverpool
Transfer expenditure: €1.20billion
Transfer income: €708.97million
Net spend: €493.56million
Trophies won: 6
Net spend per trophy: €82.26million
4. Manchester United
Transfer expenditure: €1.66billion
Transfer income: €418.50million
Net spend: €1246.16milion
Trophies won: 4
Net spend per trophy: €31.15million
5. Manchester City
Transfer expenditure: €1.70billion
Transfer income: €689.30million
Net spend: €1008.52million
Trophies won: 15
Net spend per trophy: €6.72million
6. Tottenham
Transfer expenditure: €1.12billion
Transfer income: €594.02million
Net spend: €523.61million
Trophies won: 0
Net spend per trophy: N/A
[planetfootball]
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CHERRIES received $387,827 via FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme for the World Cup last winter.
Kieffer Moore and Chris Mepham were selected to represent Wales in what was the country’s first World Cup since 1958.
Cherries’ two representatives at the World Cup were knocked out in the group stage, limiting the earning potential for their club.
FIFA explained the formula behind the payments in a statement: “The total amount available ($209m) is divided by the total number of days that all of the participating players spent at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (approximately 19,080), which results in an amount of $10,950 per player per day ($209m divided by 19,080).
This amount is then multiplied by the number of days that each player spent at the final competition of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, starting from their release for the tournament and ending on the day following the last match of the player’s representative team.”
Unsurprisingly English clubs received the most payments, with 46 different teams sharing a spread of $37,713,297 – making up just shy of a quarter of the total UEFA-affiliated clubs earnt.
Cherries received the 40th highest total, the lowest in the Premier League, with Manchester City earning the most, the Cityzens awarded $4,596,445.
[bournemouthecho]
The 22-year-old was an unexpected success story during his loan spell with Reims last season, finding the back of the net 21 times in 37 Ligue 1 appearances.
Balogun's impressive exploits in France caught the eye of the USA international team, and having played for England at youth level, he pledged allegiance to the Stars and Stripes earlier this year.
The former Middlesbrough loanee took no time at all to adapt to the rigours of senior international football, scoring in his second appearance against Canada in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Reims were keen to convert Balogun's loan switch into a permanent move, but the French side did not possess the financial firepower to poach the striker permanently, and he has since returned to Arsenal for pre-season.
Balogun played in the second half of the Gunners' recent friendly draw with Nurnberg, and he was recently named in their travelling squad for their pre-season tour of the USA.
However, it remains to be seen if the 22-year-old can force his way into the first-team setup amid competition from Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz.
Inter are thought to be weighing up an approach for the Arsenal man, as the Nerazzurri seek out alternatives to Romelu Lukaku, having dropped their interest in the Chelsea man after learning of his talks with Juventus.
Now, Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Milan are also plotting a move for Balogun, as the Rossoneri prepare for life without the recently-retired Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Balogun is still under contract with Arsenal for another two years, and the Gunners are reportedly ready to demand as much as £50m to let the 22-year-old leave in the current window.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta opened the door for Balogun to make his mark in pre-season when asked after the draw with Nurnberg if he wanted to see the striker remain at the Emirates.
"Yeah. He's just staying here with us at the moment and we will see what happens," Arteta told reporters. "This is what he has been doing and that's why we gave him the minutes that he deserves to show what he can do."
Balogun joined Arsenal's academy in 2011 but has only made 10 competitive appearances for the first team so far, registering two goals and one assist in the 2020-21 Europa League.
A shock switch to Chelsea has also been mooted for the striker, although it is unclear if he would be willing to swap the Emirates for Stamford Bridge - a path that fellow Hale End product Omari Hutchinson walked down last year.
Arsenal will face the MLS All-Stars, Barcelona and Manchester United as part of their USA tour, kicking off against the former in Washington on Wednesday.
[sportsmole]
Nigeria's Women World Cup squad received a warm First Nations welcome in Bribane, Australia.
Some of Nigeria's staff and players joined, Saturday (Jul. 16), their host performing traditional dances.
The ceremony took place 4 days before the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off.
The Nigerians will start their World Cup campaign by facing Canada on Friday (Jul. 21).
This year’s edition of the tournament is the third time the two teams will be clashing in the World Cup, with the West African side undefeated in the previous two head-to-heads.
They'll then clash with Australia four days after Cananda and with the Republic of Ireland also four days after Australia.
The four teams make up group B.
The 9th FIFA Women's World Cup is hosted by New Zealand and Australia.
The Super Falcons have participated in the past six editions. Their best showing to date is a quarter-final appearance in the 1999 World Cup.
Nigeria is one of four squads from Africa which qualified this year.
Zambia is in Group C and will play Spain, Costa Rica and Japan.
South Africa in Group G will go head-to-head with Sweden, Italy and Argentina.
Morocco in Group H will play Germany, Colombia and The Korea Republic.
[africanews]
The summer after a Treble was always going to be interesting. How do you improve? How can you tempt players to stay after winning it all?
Pep Guardiola’s rule has been not to step in the way if a player wishes to leave. Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling were all allowed to bow out and there was to be no begging from City’s part.
Joao Cancelo found that out in January and ended up leaving a side that ended up winning the Treble. A lesson that ego is not everything.
He is bound to be one player that leaves the Etihad this season after an apparent rift with Guardiola. The Catalan coach said he wouldn't have cared if he had joined United in January as was his urgency to get rid.
Bayern Munich opted against his buy-out and it could be a quick in and out at City this summer too. Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan has left on very different terms.
He became only the second captain of an English club to win the Treble last season and travelled to Barcelona with a pat on the back and a bouquet of flowers. Cancelo - who was booed upon his Etihad return with Bayern in the Champions League - might not get the same treatment.
Meanwhile, another full-back could be heading out of the door. Bayern are heavily interested in Kyle Walker and the 33-year-old will spy this as his last opportunity to play abroad.
That would leave City without a top-class full-back on either flank, which would be a point of concern for fans.
There is a fear Nathan Ake and Manu Akanji, however well they did at left-back last season, could be found out this time around while City would be wasting John Stones at right-back.
Elsewhere, Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte are being linked with exits. The former was been frequently linked with Barcelona, although whether a suitable offer comes in is debatable given the club’s financial troubles.
But the seemingly imminent arrival of Josko Gvardiol would surely see the exit of Laporte, who struggled for game time amid the current crop of players. There are also rumblings that Riyad Mahrez could be tempted by a move to Saudi Arabia should a proposal come in.
City will probably be fine but they must be careful. Too many exits could disrupt the equilibrium of the squad, which doesn’t have the greatest of depth despite its vast quality.
Mateo Kovacic helps soothe that concern and Gvardiol would add more contentment. But there might be a point where Guardiola has to say no, or at least use the extended olive branch to prod with.
Like any club, City must also consider the restrictions of Financial Fair Play and so would not be able to splash the cash without care, despite the perceptions of some. Losing all of the players mentioned above would be a risky scenario to allow.
In former years, the likelihood would have been that not all would have gone but with the influx of Saudi cash incentives and coming off the back of a Treble, players may want a fresh challenge and new motivation.
That in itself is something that the City boss will need to manage but put bluntly, is there anyone who would dare turn down a request to stay from Guardiola, one of the greatest ever minds in football?
I guess we will find out this summer. Guardiola might have to put his foot down to some either way, though.
[manchestereveningnews]