Our exclusive multi-part interview with City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has given the media a bit to chew over.
Parts one and two of the City TV feature are live on this site, and by the looks of it they have been picked over at length by newspapers and media scrutineers the world over.
We won’t bring you the quotes they’ve reprinted, it’s more about the interpretation, and the Mirror’s David Anderson feels there will be high-profile departures this summer. And there’s the summer’s first sighting of the City ‘transfer war-chest’!
“Pep Guardiola will overhaul Manchester City this summer with Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta set to be the two biggest departures.
“Incoming boss Guardiola has been given the green light by the club’s hierarchy to break up the core of the side which has won two titles, one FA Cup and two Capital One Cups over five years.
“Guardiola has a war-chest of around £200million to spend and City have already splashed out £21million on Germany star Ilkay Gundogan.
“They hope to make three or four more big-money signings, and Athletic Bilbao’s America Laporte, John Stones of Everton, both defenders, and Schalke winger Leroy Sane are on their shopping list.”
ESPN’s Jonathan Smith has also had a good listen to the chairman, and says that the Blues will also be ramping up when it comes to home-grown talent under Pep Guardiola.
“Manchester City want new boss Pep Guardiola to unearth home-grown talent just as he did at previous clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“City have invested £200m in the state-of-the-art Etihad Campus to bring through their own youngsters but so far they have struggled to make the breakthrough into the senior squad.
“They expect that to change under incoming manager Guardiola, who has a track record for trusting young talent, which started during his four years at the Camp Nou, where he gave 22 youngsters their debut.”
But there is a new name to conjure with today, and it is Sassuolo and Croatia defender Sime Vrsaljko, who Shoot.co.uk claim is interesting both City and Arsenal.
It’s all a bit second-hand – via “reports in Italy via Talksport” – but the 24-year-old is described as “one of the best full-backs in Serie A”.
But with part two of the chairman interview going live late last night and part three to follow at 10pm tonight, there will be plenty of City-related gossip to come in the next couple of days – and beyond…
