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Manchester City will open up a four-point lead at the top of the 2020-21 Premier League table if they win their game in hand.
On that note, let’s take a look at the latest Manchester City news as on 28th January 2021:
Manchester City to trump Real Madrid’s offer for David Alaba
Manchester City and Real Madrid are expected to battle it out for David Alaba’s signature in the summer.
As per Sport Witness (via SI), though, Manchester City have moved ahead in the race to sign Alaba. The Premier League leaders are willing to offer Alaba a contract worth €14 million a year, which is considerably more than the €11 million Real Madrid are offering.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Real Madrid's finances hard, so it remains to be seen if they will break their wage structure to sign Alaba. The Austrian, however, prefers a move to the Spanish capital.
Manchester City have a buy-back clause in Pedro Porro’s contract with Sporting Lisbon
On-loan Manchester City full-back Pedro Porro is currently having an impressive spell at Sporting Lisbon; so there has been talk that the Portuguese side could sign him permanently.
Porro’s loan deal with Sporting runs until the summer of 2022, so they have time until then to sign him permanently for a fee of €8.5 million.
Although Sporting have the right to sign him over any other club, Manchester City could re-sign him using a buy-back clause in the player's contract, as per A Bola (via Sport Witness).
Manchester City would exercise the clause if they feel Porro could be sold for a lot more than €8.5 million.
The 21-year old has made 15 Liga NOS appearances this season, scoring three goals.
Manchester City don’t need Douglas Luiz: Steve McManaman
Former Manchester City midfielder Steve McManaman feels the club do not need to re-sign Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.
Luiz’s performances in midfield have been key for Aston Villa this season as they have managed to challenge for a place in the top half of the table after last season’s relegation scrap.
Manchester City inserted a buy-back clause in the deal that saw Luiz move to Aston Villa. Many see him as a replacement for Fernandinho, who will be out of contract next summer.
McManaman, however, feels otherwise, saying:
“He has been excellent, hasn’t he. I think the one thing about Manchester City is that they have a raft of brilliant midfielders, haven’t they? It’s the one thing you would say. They probably don’t need another central midfielder, Manchester City."
