Man City transfer news RECAP – Joel Ndala agreement, Rodri link, Matheus Nunes interest

Manchester Evening News is covering the transfer deadline day with Manchester City updates. The Manchester Evening News will cover every step with the latest news and rumors. City are not expecting much business at the Etihad Stadium. There is always scope for surprises. Pep Guardiola and key figures have only made two first-team additions this summer. Ilkay Gundogan completed a return move from Barcelona. Savinho arrived for £21million. Julian Alvarez left for Atletico Madrid. His signature cost the Spanish giants £81.5million. City have yet to properly re-invest. There was one low-key addition made pre-deadline. Striker Divin Mubama signed from West Ham. The 19-year-old cost £2million. He will join the Under-21s squad.

Guardiola has explained his thinking about their transfer strategy. He is happy with the squad. Injuries could be a problem. Oscar will be back in two or three months. Phil Foden, James McAtee, Gundogan and Bernardo can play in that position. They are different types of players to Erling. Guardiola does not like to work with a long squad. He does not like to leave players without playing for a long time. Ten months without playing is not good. When everybody is involved with a chance to play, the team performance is better. He knows the group. He knows how committed they are. When they are not sure, it is better to wait. There is another chance in winter. If he and Txiki are not convinced, it is better to stay that way.

There has been speculation about City signing a striker to replace Julian Alvarez. It looks increasingly unlikely to happen today. Sporting Director Txiki Begiristain explained the importance of seeing the calendar and how it affects them and the Premier League. It depends on the games before or after. They need a deeper squad. They have a balanced squad deep enough to compete in many competitions. They feel confident in the Champions League. They feel capable to be there. They did well in recent seasons but respect everyone. Their target is to reach the last-16.

Former City star Raheem Sterling is unwanted by Chelsea. There was speculation that Arsenal could sign him due to his close relationship with Mikel Arteta. Sky Sports News reports a deal is unlikely but never say never. According to the Athletic, Wolves are getting closer to signing former City winger Carlos Forbs. He went by Carlos Borges while at the City Football Academy. He left last year for £17.2m. He scored four times for Ajax in 38 appearances last season. Wolves would sign Forbs on a year-long deal with an option to buy for around £11.4m. This could give City a further £2.28m next summer due to a 20 percent sell-on clause. City also have a buy-back clause. They will watch closely if their former academy winger moves to the Premier League.

According to Football Insider, Newcastle are looking at a late move for City midfielder Matheus Nunes. A midfielder is not a priority for the Magpies. They are on alert to sign a high profile player. Newcastle are working on a deal to sign a center-back. They look set to miss out on Marc Guehi. Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan are the only senior signings City have made this summer. Here is a look at the outgoings. Julian Alvarez went to Atletico Madrid for £81.5m. Joao Cancelo went to Al-Hilal for £21.2m. Yan Couto went to Borussia Dortmund on loan. Tommy Doyle went to Wolves for £4.3m. Sergio Gomez went to Real Sociedad for £7.6m. Taylor Harwood-Bellis went to Southampton for £20m. Maximo Perrone went to Como on loan. Kalvin Phillips went to Ipswich Town on loan.

Sporting director Txiki Begiristain was asked about the prospect of further signings at the Champions League draw. There is very little need to mention Manchester City and PSR in the same sentence. There may be concerns about the 115 charges they face following the Premier League’s allegations. They are not relevant to the club’s PSR position. Before the summer window opened, the club had massive headroom for PSR. It was as much as £300m for the 2023/24 financial year. This summer they spent £20m on Savinho and brought back Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer. They have brought in more than £100m in sales. This was largely thanks to Julian Alvarez’s move to Atletico Madrid. Revenue growth will continue to trend upwards in 2024/25. There is room to bring in whomever they desire. They just do not feel the need to.

Clubs across the Premier League are counting down to 11pm tonight. They could still sell players into next week and beyond. The market in Portugal, Holland and Saudi Arabia remains open until Monday. Turkey has another fortnight for outgoing business. Atletico Madrid were interested in Matheus Nunes a few days ago. A move for the City midfielder has not yet happened. Reports from ESPN say a formal bid never came from Spain. The Portugal international might wait for minutes this season. City paid £53million for him last summer from Wolves. A loan exit was tipped to give him game time.

It is a huge sign of City’s transfer success that they expect such a quiet deadline day. It has not always been that way. A year ago more than £90m changed hands on two big deals. Neither worked out for City. Selling Cole Palmer to Chelsea for £42.5m looked smart business. A year later with Alvarez gone there must be some regret at the Etihad Stadium. Kevin De Bruyne could have left the Etihad Stadium this summer. There was interest from Saudi Arabia. The City player stayed and captained the side in the opening two matches.

The main deadline for Premier League deals is 11pm tonight. New signings registered after noon will not play before the international break. This may not matter for City given their stance on making further signings. City have agreed to sell Joel Ndala to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. The move will initially be on loan with an obligation to buy next summer. Here are the permanent deals City have completed. Incoming are Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona and Savinho from Troyes. Outgoing are Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, Joao Cancelo to Al-Hilal, Tommy Doyle to Wolves, Sergio Gomez to Real Sociedad, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis to Southampton.

The most eye-catching news involves Raheem Sterling and his possible Chelsea exit. The ex-City hero might go to Arsenal or United. A return to Manchester is an option. Time is running out for a deal. It depends on what happens at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford. City have been quiet regarding incomings this summer. There is still time to find a replacement for Julian Alvarez with the £81.5million they received. Eight shirt numbers are still available. Numbers 1, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, and 22 are free.

City do not expect a busy deadline day. There are still whispers floating around. Matheus Nunes might leave, probably on loan. There is much competition in midfield. Will he join Joao Cancelo, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez out the door? City have signed former West Ham youngster Divin Mubama. He will not be a first-team signing. The 19-year-old striker announced his signing on Instagram. He posed with a ball at the City Football Academy. Manchester Evening News understands City paid £2million for him.

Real Madrid have made Rodri their top transfer target next summer. This comes from reports by Duncan Castles from The Transfers Podcast. Rodri has not played for Premier League champions City this season. A return to La Liga could happen for the midfielder. Real president Florentino Perez admires Rodri. Rodri knows Spain’s capital. He played for cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid previously. Inter, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are the three standout teams City will face in the Champions League league phase this season. Brugge, Feyenoord, Sparta Prague, Slovan Bratislava and Sporting are the five other clubs they will play. The matches against Brugge, Feyenoord, Inter and Sparta Prague will be at the Etihad. City fans will travel to Bratislava, Lisbon, Paris and Turin later this year.

England interim manager Lee Carsley left Kyle Walker out of the squad. He said it was important to put their own mark on the squad. Walker has not played this season. City are phasing him in gently. They respect that. Players coming in must be ready to play and up to speed. That will be a big thing for the squad. Most of the squad has played minutes and is in a good position. City have completed the signing of former West Ham youngster Divin Mubama. The 19-year-old striker announced his own signing on Instagram. He posed with a ball at the City Football Academy. Manchester Evening News understands City paid £2million for him. The England under-20 international left West Ham in the summer. He scored 58 goals in 90 youth outings and one goal in 18 senior appearances. He follows Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan through the door this summer. He is not expected to be a regular first-team option. He will mostly play for Ben Wilkinson’s Elite Development Squad.

City have reportedly cooled their interest in Kyogo Furuhashi. They considered signing the Celtic striker after Oscar Bobb’s injury. The Times claims no more signings are likely this summer. City decided not to bid for the Japan international. They also discussed signing Orri Oskarsson. Jack Grealish and Rico Lewis are back in the England squad. Kyle Walker is out after former City under-18s coach Lee Carsley named his first squad. John Stones and Phil Foden keep their place from the European Championship. Marca claims Real Madrid are not considering signing Rodri. They cite news from England which came from Duncan Castles and The Transfers Podcast.

Former West Ham forward Divin Mubama announced his signing at City on Instagram. The England under-20 signing left West Ham in the summer. He scored 58 goals in 90 youth outings and one goal in 18 senior appearances. The 19-year-old will play mainly for the Elite Development Squad. City reportedly paid a fee to West Ham as compensation following FA rules for homegrown players. City have received no bids for Matheus Nunes despite interest from Atletico Madrid. Fabrizio Romano told CaughtOffside the rumors are not concrete. The Spanish club could only make a loan move. They would likely turn to alternatives. The Athletic reported on Monday that City had not decided on Nunes’ availability. They claimed Atletico are exploring a loan signing. No bids have been made to the Premier League champions.

Kyle Walker revealed on his podcast that Chelsea wanted to sign him from Tottenham before he joined Manchester City in summer 2017. Chelsea definitely wanted him. But with their history of competing for titles and the battle at the Bridge, he did not want to go there. He has respect for Tottenham and did not want to be the next Sol Campbell. He did not want to do that. Real Madrid have made Manchester City talisman Rodri their top transfer target next summer. That comes from reports by Duncan Castles on The Transfers Podcast. Reports from GiveMeSport say City will definitely sign another player before the deadline on Friday night. They want a replacement for Julian Alvarez. Many names have been suggested as backup for Erling Haaland. Icelandic player Orri Oskarsson is one option. These reports do not name the exact identity of any definite signing.

Benfica are close to signing Manchester City defender Issa Kabore on loan. Kabore, 23, signed for City in 2020 but has not played a competitive game under Pep Guardiola. After loans at Mechelen, Troyes, and Marseille, Kabore spent last year in the Premier League with Luton Town. His performances have created considerable interest this transfer window. Several English and European clubs have asked City about him this summer. With a few days left before the window closes, Benfica are expected to take Kabore on a season-long loan. It will not include any option or obligation to buy.