The Telegraph write: “Manchester City have balked at Schalke’s £42 million starting valuation of Leroy Sane but hope to reach a compromise with the German club after the attacking midfielder signalled his desire to move to the Etihad Stadium.
“Sane is ready to sign the offer of a four-year contract with City but negotiations over a fee for the highly-regarded 20-year-old are proving difficult with Schalke asking for €50 million (£41.7 million) with further performance related payments to follow.”
After months of speculation regarding Yaya Toure reuniting with former boss Roberto Mancini, the Italian has finally confirmed Inter Milan won’t be signing the Ivorian.
NBC Sports report: “Inter manager Roberto Mancini has been vocal about his admiration for Toure, as the two won a Premier League title and FA Cup trophy during Mancini’s tenure in charge of Manchester City from 2009-13.
“Mancini has previously spoken about his desire to bring Toure to Serie A, although he has now changed his tone, telling Sky Sports that he no longer thinks a move could be made.
‘I say that [Yaya] remains one of the greatest midfielders around in the game,’ said Mancini. ‘But I think there is no chance he will be joining Inter. We have no regrets, though.’
“With Inter now out of the picture, it seems more and more likely that Toure will remain at City.”
The Blues have been constantly linked with moves for La Liga goalkeepers in recent weeks, but the Daily Express believe Barcelona will not be selling any of their back-up custodians this summer.
They report: “Last weekend Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo claimed Guardiola had fixed on Bravo as the candidate to succeed Hart.
“But Barca sporting director Robert Fernandez, who is responsible for their transfer strategy, won’t let Bravo or fellow goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen leave.
‘I’ll do what it takes to prevent either of [Bravo and Ter Stegen] from leaving this summer,’ Fernandez told reporters.”
Also in the Express, City are again linked with German international Joshua Kimmich as they report: “The 21-year-old joined Bayern Munich from Red Bull Leipzig last January.
“And his form for the Bundesliga giants saw him included in Joachim Low’s Euro 2016 squad
“Kimmich, a defensive midfielder by trade, was deployed at right back in France and starred in all six of the reigning World Champions’ games as they reached the semi-finals stage.
“According to the Daily Mail, Pep Guardiola has now set his sights on being reunited with the player he took to the Allianz Arena.
“The Spaniard is set to remodel the squad that finished fourth under Manuel Pellegrini last season and he has already brought in Kimmich’s international team-mate Ilkay Gundogan in a £21million deal.”
Lastly, we return to Italy with the Transfer Tavern suggest the Blues are closing in on another (alleged) long-time target as they write: “According to Italian outlet TuttoSport, (via Sport Witness), the club have made a €20m bid for Torino defender Bruno Peres as their new Spanish coach bids to refresh their options at full-back.
“Across the footballing world, there seems to be a dearth in top quality full-back available, with City desperately needing fresh legs in such areas.
“The report suggests intermediates are working on a deal for the Brazilian, who boasts a fantastic engine and seemingly possesses the necessary skills required to fit in with Guardiola’s trademark style of play.”
Keep your eye on City Now throughout the day for the latest breaking transfer stories…
