Here are the Manchester City morning headlines for Monday, August 10.
What Sterling told City teammates after Real Madrid win
Raheem Sterling told his Manchester City teammates they got the reward for their hunger after knocking Real Madrid out of the Champions League last week.
City underlined their competition credentials by eliminating the Spanish giants in the round of 16 and Sterling highlighted why he felt his side got the victory, revealing what he said in the dressing room afterwards.
“We got a great result against a great team. The most important thing from all the boys was running our socks off,” he said. “I thought we did that well for 90 minutes. That was one of the main reasons why we got the result and I’ve said that to the boys.
“We knew it would be a very different sort of game, two teams with great qualities. I think it came down to who wanted it the most – who ran the most. I’m not saying they didn’t but we were extra hungry.
“The mentality since we got back in - day one after lockdown - has been how much we want this. We’ve got energy to progress in this competition. Energy and fight - we showed that against Madrid throughout the game.”
Barcelona target City swap deal - report
Barcelona want to use Portuguese full-back Nelson Semedo to tempt City into a swap deal involving Bernardo Silva.
The Telegraph claim the Catalans are long-term admirers of Bernardo and are eager to lure the Portuguese international to the Camp Nou this summer as they reshape their squad ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Barca hope to use Semedo, who has been linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium this summer, to tempt City into parting with Bernardo.
However, it’s believed City would be unwilling to let Bernardo leave the club in the same summer as David Silva, despite the fact the 26-year-old has played less of a role for Pep Guardiola’s side this season.
City could need United to help them sign Kalidou Koulibaly
City are expected to sign another centre-back this summer, despite the addition of Nathan Ake, and Manchester United could help them lure their top target.
Kalidou Koulibaly has been linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium, but City have so far been unwilling to match Napoli’s lofty valuation of the central defender.
Last summer, United’s interest in Harry Maguire saw City lose out on the Leicester City centre-back while City also missed out on Jorginho when Napoli sold the midfielder to the highest bidder - Chelsea, in this case.
Napoli want a similar auction for Koulibaly and City might have to have a free run at the player in order to find a deal that works for them.
