Here are your Manchester City headlines for the evening of Friday August 28.
Vincent Kompany speaks out on Lionel Messi transfer
Vincent Kompany says the signing of Lionel Messi this summer could be what Manchester City need to take the next step in the Champions League.
The Barcelona superstar has made clear he wants to leave the Camp Nou this summer with City interested in signing the 33-year-old. Kompany, now in charge of Anderlecht, believes Messi could be a factor in pushing the club towards becoming European champions.
“It’d be incredible for the club to have a player like him - he could help them take the next step by winning the Champions League," the former City captain said
“I know Guardiola’s way of thinking, so I can well imagine the two of them will still have a rapport. I can imagine Pep and Messi still have one another’s phone numbers. So they can give one another a call. If Messi has decided to leave Barcelona then I can only respect his decision. Let’s be clear - as a City fan, I hope Messi joins them."
Opinion: Centre back and playmaker should still be priority over Lionel Messi
If City had a transfer plan for the summer it has been thrown into the air by the news that Messi could be convinced to join the Etihad Stadium outfit from Barcelona.
From a positional point of view, though, it’s hard to argue that an attacker like Messi should be a priority for Manchester City if they are to catch Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table next season.
MEN Sport’s Joe Bray argues that City should still be focusing their attention on signing Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli to help solve the defensive issues Pep Guardiola’s side suffered from last season.
Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar has also been consistently linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium, although it’s difficult to see him joining City if a deal for Messi is also made.
Raheem Sterling free to join England campaign despite quarantine rules
Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling will be free to join up with his England teammates after escaping quarantine rules which could have seen him miss out.
Sterling attended a party for Usain Bolt’s 34th birthday in Jamaica last week after which the legendary Olympian tested positive for Covid-19.
While Sterling himself was not affected, the UK government announced on Thursday that Jamaica has been added to the list of countries from which travellers must quarantine for 14 days upon returning to these shores.
However, Sterling has already flown home to England ahead of the 4am deadline tomorrow and will be able to join up with Gareth Southgate’s national team squad after receiving a call-up.
