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The international break might be ongoing but there's a lot happening behind the scenes and Manchester City continue to be in the news and they remain linked with a move for Lionel Messi. There's that and more in the top stories involving Manchester City from 9 October 2020.
Manchester City in talks to extend Kevin de Bruyne's contract
Manchester City are making good progress in discussions with Kevin de Bruyne over a new deal for the Belgian, according to The Times. The reports suggest that De Bruyne is close to signing a new 5-year deal at Manchester City.
The 29-year-old is easily one of the best midfielders in the world and is adored by the fans and the pundits alike and has been one of Pep Guardiola's most potent weapons in his stint at the Etihad.
Manchester City want Pep to stay; Aguero future undecided
Two prominent figures at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola and Sergio Aguero are both now going into the final months of their current contract with the Blues. However, according to an exclusive from MEN, Manchester City remain calm despite having two vital decisions to make.
Both Pep's and Aguero's contracts will run out at the end of the season and the club's Chief Operating Officer Omar Berrada believes that having cleared the hurdle of the transfer window with aplomb, the club is in no hurry to force Pep Guardiola to sign a new deal though they very much want him to stay.
He said,
"It was important for us to have a successful transfer window, which we've had. A lot of good decisions on the squad, the players and the competitiveness, so I think it is important for Pep and Txiki [Begiristain] to address that when it is the right time,"
"Our priority is Pep staying. so if it requires a bit of time it requires a bit of time but we want him to stay.
"There's an element of being prepared [to make a decision] but at the same time he has demonstrated enough and in terms of his performances as a manager and the team he has shown enough commitment and we have also shown commitment to him.
Manchester City Chief Operating Officer says they could still sign Messi
Manchester City Chief Operating Officer Omar Berrada has confirmed that they have the financial clout to bring Lionel Messi to the club. Lionel Messi had told Barcelona that he wanted to leave due to a lot of differences between him and the board. He ended up staying but his discontentment wasquite apparent.
Lionel Messi had earmarked Manchester City as his next destination and City were preparing a lucrative deal for the Argentinian before he pulled a 180. Now, Manchester City COO, Omar Berrada has confirmed that they would be able to offer a deal good enough to bring Messi to the Etihad,
He said that though Messi does not fit the profile of the players that City usually recruit, they would make an exception for that kind of talent. Berrada said,
"He's the best player in the world, he's the best player of his generation. I think any club in the world would like to explore the possibility of him joining their team. The fact that it was commented that he wanted to come to play for City just shows you how far the team has come over the last years where the best talent of his generation and potentially saying he wants to come and play for us.
"It's hard to guess what could happen. If you think back to those two weeks where everything played out at Barcelona, it's almost impossible to guess what will happen next summer. Messi is a generational talent, he's the best player in the world and probably an exception to potential investments that we'd do out of the ordinary but our planning has been done with this current squad and it is being considered with the current opportunities that we have.
