Manchester City Transfer News Roundup: Major setback in Messi pursuit, City transfer target wants his club to lower asking price and more: 30 August 2020

Manchester City has had several sensational transfer windows over the past decade but this one could be the biggest yet due to a certain Lionel Messi. However, it is going to be a complicated deal to pursue and it'll be interesting to see how Pep Guardiola and co. go about their business this transfer window.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the top transfer news and rumours involving Manchester City from 30 August 2020.

Kevin De Bruyne contract talks with Manchester City stalled as agent gets arrested

Manchester City has been looking to tie Kevin De Bruyne to a new £350,000 per week contract but it has now been put on hold. KDB's long-term adviser and agent Patrick De Koster has reportedly been held by the Belgian police after the midfielder has asked for a number of discrepancies involving millions of pounds to be investigated.

As such, Manchester City's hopes of securing his services for the long-term has been paused. The 29-year-old is all set to become Manchester City's captain in the wake of David Silva's departure. De Bruyne has been City's best player over the past few seasons.

Kalidou Koulibaly growing frustrated and wants price to be lowered

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly is growing increasingly frustrated at Napoli as the Cityzens are yet to return with a fresh bid after their €63 million offer got rejected, according to reports.

The 29-year-old is not being able to stay focused as he is aware that Napoli is willing to sell him this transfer window. With the Lionel Messi situation getting more complicated, Koulibaly is aware of the fact that Napoli's asking price might deter Manchester City from pursuing a deal for him.

As such, the Senegalese international wants Napoli to lower their asking price. He would also like them to make a stern decision on his future as he is feeling unsettled at the moment.

La Liga side with Barcelona; issue statement on Lionel Messi

The Lionel Messi saga looks set to drag on for a long time. Today, La Liga released a statement confirming that the Argentine still has a contract with Barcelona and as such, any team hoping to secure his services will need to pay a fee or trigger his release clause.

This has thrown a spanner in City's works as Lionel Messi's release clause stands at a whopping €700 million. However, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Messi still wants to leave and start a fresh chapter.

Manchester City is reportedly waiting for Barccelona's decision.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith