But before we get on to transfer talk, let’s start this morning’s roundup with Kevin De Bruyne, who sat down with Sportbible to talk about the Premier League players he believes excelled last season.
He selected his 2016/17 Premier League XI and there were some interesting choices.
The Belgian played by PFA rules and didn’t choose any City players - and it was Tottenham stars who featured most prominently in the absence of his Blues teammates.
Hugo Lloris was chosen in goal, Chelsea’s Cesar Azplilicueta was in at right-back, Jan Vertonghen and Virgil van Dijk were paired at centre-half, with Danny Rose completing the back four.
To see KDB’s full XI, head over to Sportbible for more!
Moving on and there’s a report in the Express which says Bayern Munich will battle City for Kyle Walker’s signature.
The German side are believed to be in the market for a new defender in light of Philipp Lahm’s retirement.
And according to Neil Fissler, Tottenham right-back Walker fits the bill.
“The Bundesliga giants have been keeping close tabs on him for the last few months,” Fissler writes.
“Carlo Ancelotti needs to replace club legend Philipp Lahm who is retiring this season.
“The Italian boss believes that Walker, who would cost him £150,000 a week in wages, would fit perfectly into his squad.”
Meanwhile, there are reports of a move for Juventus right-back Dani Alves.
According to the Guardian, City will offer £5 million for the former Barcelona man who recently described Pep Guardiola as a “genius”.
Alves, 34, was one of Juventus’ most impressive performers during their run to the Champions League final last season and it’s understood Guardiola wants a reunion with the man he managed during his successful spell as Barcelona boss.
“Manchester City have approached Juventus over a move for Dani Alves, with Pep Guardiola prepared to offer the Brazil international a two-year contract as he steps up his recruitment drive for next season,” the report suggests.
“City are searching for defensive options after allowing Bacary Sagna and Gaël Clichy to leave when their contracts expire at the end of this month. A move for Tottenham’s Kyle Walker has failed to reach a breakthrough, with Spurs holding out for a fee in excess of £40m for the England international.
“That has led Guardiola to inquire after Alves, with whom he worked at Barcelona. Juventus have confirmed they could be open to selling a player who especially impressed during the Serie A winners’ run to the Champions League final – notably in the semi-final victory against Monaco, in which he was involved in his side’s first three goals across the tie before scoring the fourth.
“Alves still has one year left on his contract and City have been told a bid of around £5m would be sufficient to persuade the Turin club to sell the 34-year-old.”
That’s all for today, Blues. See you tomorrow for more of the same.
