Hello and welcome to the first City Is Ours daily digest of the week, your once-a-day top-up of all things Manchester City.
It seems like City's hunt for a new left-back has been going on forever, with the search now taking them to Germany.
John Stones hasn't played a single minute for City this season, but he has received some positive news.
We're all starting to see just how good Ferran Torres can be. It looks like City did very well indeed to secure his signature last year...
Dortmund Dynamo
City have been linked with both Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham in recent months, but now it's a different Borussia Dortmund star that it is claimed is attracting their interest.
The Blues are on the hunt for a new left-back (when is that ever not the case?) and according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Raphael Guerreiro is a name Pep Guardiola is seriously considering.
Although Oleksandr Zinchenko performed admirably last season and Joao Cancelo has done a fantastic job this term, ideally Pep would like to have a naturally left-footed attacking left-back at his disposal. Guerreiro seems to fit the bill.
The 27-year-old Portugual international can play either as a left-back or wing-back and possesses all the qualities of a modern dynamic full-back. Since joining Dortmund he has made 118 Bundesliga appearances, during which time he has scored 25 goals and provided 23 assists.
His current contract expires in June 2023, so City could be in a good position to force Dortmund's hand with a knock-down fee if their interest is genuine.
Game time for Stones
John Stones was a permanent fixture in Guardiola's preferred XI last season as he helped City clinch a fifth Premier League title and reach a maiden Champions League final.
However, the form he found playing alongside Ruben Dias has so far not transferred into the current campaign.
Stones is yet to feature competitively for City this term, with Aymeric Laporte preferred as Dias' central defensive partner. Injury niggles have not helped Stones' case, but England manager Gareth Southgate has offered assurances over his international prospects despite a lack of minutes at club level.
"John, when he goes back, will have that many games and everybody knows his quality, so he will be in the team and I don’t think that will be an issue going forward", Southgate said after Stones played an hour of England's 5-0 win against Andorra on Saturday.
"I don’t foresee it being a problem, he’s just been really unfortunate."
City fought for Ferran
Over the international break, Ferran Torres was busy showing everyone that he has what it takes to become an elite number nine. He scored a superb brace last week in Spain's Nations League semi-final defeat of Italy, although he could do nothing to stop his side losing out to France in Sunday's final.
Guardiola has been full of praise for the 21-year-old since moving him into a striking role at the start of the season. It looks like City landed a direct blow to a European rival by signing him.
According to Mundo Deportivo, LaLiga giants Real Madrid tried to sign Ferran from Valencia on four separate occasions before City succeeded. Florentino Perez' club were rejected by Ferran and his family when the player was ten and twelve years old, and baulked at the €8m fee Valencia demanded when he was 17.
In 2020 Los Blancos were keen again, but pulled out of a deal due to pandemic-hit finances. City then swooped in and signed the youngster for a very reasonable £20million. It certainly looks like Madrid will come to rue their missed opportunities.
