First to the Times, who reckon City are tracking a Manchester-born defender.
Matt Hughes writes: “Arsenal and Manchester City are monitoring James Tarkowski with a view to bidding for the Burnley centre back next summer.
“The 25-year-old is happy at Burnley and his performances for the club have taken him to the brink of an England call-up, but an offer from a Champions League club would leave him with a difficult decision to make.
“Burnley will not countenance offers for Tarkowski next month as they seek to build on their remarkable start to the season that has taken them to sixth place in the Premier League. However, as they demonstrated when selling Michael Keane to Everton in July, the club have sold players when they judge the price and timing to be right.”
A little further afield now and reports out of Italy suggest that AC Milan defender Leonardo Bonucci may be on the Blues’ radar.
An article on the Sport Witness website reads: “Leonardo Bonucci has been one of the most commented names in the transfer market for the past couple of years. After a successful spell at Juve, the departure from the Old Lady could’ve sent him to several different interested clubs, until he ended up signing for league rivals Milan last summer.
“But it turns out that his name is already back in the papers, this time being linked to clubs from outside of Italy, who are also looking for a solid defender in the January transfer market.
“Website Calciomercato has a story about the situation today, saying that both Barcelona and Manchester City could be possible destinations for the player in the January market.”
Now to ESPN, who reckon that Gabriel Jesus’ explosive arrival onto the Premier League football scene may result in a new deal for the Brazilian.
Jon Smith reports: “He is seen as a major part of City’s future by senior figures at the club after scoring 17 goals in 36 appearances since his switch from the Brazilian champions.
“City have been busy trying to tie down a number of players down on new deals after the club’s sensational start to the season that has seen them move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
“David Silva has already signed a contract extension that will keep him at City until 2020. Fellow midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho have also been lined up for new deals, ESPN FC has been told.”
And finally, Bristol City manager Lee Johnson has reacted to drawing City in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
He said: “It will be amazing for the players, first and foremost, to test themselves, but also for myself and the fans to hopefully have two great days. From when I was (manager) at Oldham, which was just around the corner, I’ve been let in on a number of occasions. It (Manchester City) is a beast of an organisation, but it is so fascinating.
“You see the football that they play - it’s unbelievable to watch.”
That’s all for today, we’ll be back same time, same place tomorrow!
