We kick off your Thursday round-up with the latest transfer rumours and gossip splashed across the back pages.
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Despite Pep Guardiola continuously stating that we aren’t interested in making any January recruits, it hasn’t stopped the press from speculating.
Sky Sports claim that both us and fellow Premier League club, Arsenal, are interested in Everton’s Idrissa Gueye.
The news outlet reports: “Arsenal and Manchester City are interested in signing Everton’s Idrissa Gueye, Sky Sports News understands.”
“Gueye handed in a transfer request in a bid to secure a move to Paris Saint-Germain, Sky Sports News reported earlier on Tuesday, with the 29-year-old having written to club officials pleading with them to allow him to join the French champions.
“However, Everton have denied they have received an official transfer request from the Senegal international.”
Our boss has told the media a number of times that we are not looking to make any signings in the January window, and the Manchester Evening News quotes our manager saying: “During the month I said we were not going to do anything in the transfer market. We were clear as a club that we were not in the transfer window. I’ve said it five times. It’s finishing.”
Next we turn our attention to the title race, after Liverpool’s draw against Leicester sees the gap between us and the Reds grow to five points.
However, Brian McBride thinks it’s a tough ask but doesn’t think it’s out of the question.
“But when you look at Liverpool over the course of the period of this season so far, you find it difficult for them to drop seven points,” The Daily Star quotes.
“And you add in that means City have to win every game from here on out - and it’s a tough ask.
“I always think there’s a few little scares and twists coming in near the end of the season, whether it’s a team that seems safe from the drop that drops all the way down, and the one or two at the top that sort of lose games that you don’t think should be lost.”
While Craig Burley talks about the increase in pressure: “If Liverpool do start to increase that lead, it’s gonna put even more pressure on the Champions League [for City],” he said.
“Because they won the Premier League at a canter last year, so I’m not being over critical here because it’s very difficult to retain your title when they had a bad night at the office.
“But it is gonna pile the pressure on for Guardiola to, if they are out of the title race which they’re not yet, but if it starts to look like that by the time the Schalke game comes around, where they’re huge favourites by the way, it’s huge pressure.”
Finally, TalkSport has highlighted five key games that we face over the coming months.
The news outlet pinpoints Sunday’s game against Arsenal as one of those games, as Marc Williams scribes: “City kick off a string of tough games in February by hosting Arsenal.
“The Gunners have been inconsistent throughout this season but have shown they are good enough to match anyone on their day.
“City have enjoyed facing the north Londoners recently, winning their last four games.”
That’s all for today, but we will be back tomorrow with all the latest news and headlines from the back pages…
