Here are your Manchester City morning headlines for April 24.
Manchester City 'will not face competition from Barcelona for Saul Niguez'
Barcelona will not be pursuing Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez this summer, paving the way for Man City and their rivals Manchester United to bid for the Spaniard, per Mundo Deportivo ( via the Daily Star ).
The Spanish champions paid Atletico £15 million in October to secure a first option on certain players, including Saul, but will not be using their first right to refusal this summer, according to the report.
Saul has a £135 million release clause and reportedly will not be sold for any less, which presents a stumbling block for any clubs in pursuit.
United are reported to be ‘unlikely’ to pay that price, instead prioritising Jack Grealish, James Maddison, and Jadon Sancho.
Gareth Southgate 'remains open to including Kyle Walker in future England squads'
City right-back Kyle Walker will not be frozen out of the England team despite allegedly breaking the UK government’s lockdown protocols, per The Sun.
Gareth Southgate is said to be ‘angered’ by the behaviour but will not close the door to the 29-year-old who has recently found himself down the pecking order in the national set-up.
Walker was excluded from the England squad for the European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo last September. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Kieran Trippier are all vying for the same spot in Southgate’s starting 11.
However, Southgate is reportedly impressed by Walker’s versatility and his popularity among the England players.
Why Manchester City should sell Leroy Sane this summer
Although the club are keen to see Leroy Sane stay at the Etihad next season, Reece Chambers believes Manchester City should cash in on Bayern Munich’s interest in the German winger.
Sane is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury that prevented his proposed move to Bayern from going through last summer, and the German giants remain interested in his services.
The 24-year-old should be sold, according to Chambers, because Pep Guardiola will need the £60-70 million to sign a new centre-back, improving Man City’s most vulnerable area of the pitch.
What’s more, Sane’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2021, meaning the club would miss out on a big transfer fee should he be forced to remain in Manchester for another season.
