Manchester City News Roundup: Club set to lose out on Leo Messi's signature, Cityzens star set for new contract, and more - 16th December 2020

Manchester City's shaky start to the season continued after they dropped points for the seventh time in the 2020/21 Premier League season on Tuesday night. The Cityzens played host to West Brom and despite being in control of the game for a majority of the 90 minutes, they shared the spoils with the Baggies after Sam Johnstone's heroics kept the scoreline to 1-1.

Ahead of their tricky away fixture against an in-form Southampton, here, we take a look at the latest Manchester City news.

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Tim Sherwood blasts two Manchester City players after West Brom draw

Gabriel Jesus had a night to forget

Tim Sherwood has claimed that Manchester City stars Gabriel Jesus and Rodri are 'not good enough' to play at this level after their 1-1 draw with West Brom. The pair were off the boil during the game and the Brazilian, in particular, received scathing criticism for his display.

Speaking on the two Manchester City stars' displays against West Brom, Sherwood remarked;

"I’m not having Rodri. I think he is very ponderous. I’m not sure what he does. He doesn’t break it up enough for me. He doesn’t pass it forward. When Phil Foden gets the ball, he looks to be progressive and he passes the ball forward. They are so reliant on Kevin De Bruyne."

Rodri

The former Tottenham Hotspur man added,

"[Sergio] Aguero needs to get fit as quickly as possible. [Gabriel] Jesus simply is not good enough at this level to take them where they need to be. He’s a good player to have around your squad. But if you are going to rely on him to score your goals, I think we have seen in recent times whilst Sergio has been injured, he’s not the answer."

Jesus has had his fair share of opportunities this season in Aguero's absence, but he's only managed to score three goals and set up a further one in his ten appearances across all competitions.

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Kevin De Bruyne's contract renewal expected soon

De Bruyne in action for City

Manchester City are in talks to renew superstar midfielder Kevin De Bruyne's deal at the Etihad, and there is progress being made on that front, as per reports. The Belgian ace has been at the heart of Manchester City's immense success over the last few years and is widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world.

With his deal running out in the summer of 2023, City are confident that they can tie him down to a new contract and as per Fabrizio Romano, the Cityzens are hopeful of the situation being resolved in the coming weeks. He believes that Manchester City expect De Bruyne to sign an extension 'really soon'.

Kevin De Bruyne's #ManCity contract renewal remains a 'work in progress', however we are 'really close' to a final agreement. Everything will be sorted in the next few weeks, and @ManCity are 'convinced' he will sign 'really soon'.[@FabrizioRomano/@podcastherewego]

— Man City Xtra (@City_Xtra) December 16, 2020

The 29-year-old is already Manchester City's highest earner and signed an extension just two years ago.

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Leo Messi prefers PSG move to Manchester City

Barcelona captain Leo Messi

Barcelona legend Leo Messi is in favour of a move to PSG as opposed to Manchester City, as per reports. The Argentine came close to leaving his boyhood club for the Etihad Stadium in the summer but the move failed to materialise after LaLiga Santander and Barcelona intervened. However, with his contract set to run out at the end of the season, he could be free to walk away for nothing.

While it appeared that that Manchester City were in a great position to land him, reports from Spain now suggest that Messi favours a move to PSG to reunite with former teammate and South American football icon, Neymar Jr. The Brazilian has been open about his intentions to play alongside Messi once again, and could possibly do so in the French capital.

45 - Lionel Messi made 45 direct free kick shots in his last 41 games in all competitions for Barcelona and scored just once (vs Osasuna in July 2020). He scored four of his previous 12. Failure. pic.twitter.com/uAqCm57B9F

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 31, 2020

The report also claims that the 33-year-old has his sights set on winning one more UCL title, and he believes that PSG will be better-placed to win the title in comparison to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

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