It’s going to be awhile before we have a match to make a starting XI prediction for again, but at least we have plenty of transfer talk. There have been reports circulating that a June restart for the Premier League could be in the works, provided the most optimistic models relating to the coronavirus pandemic come to fruition.
Until then, we have transfer rumors, and they can get, I guess “tedious” is the word, very quickly. So we figured why not combine the elements of both and make a team of just players who are rumored to be going or leaving Manchester City.
Below the formation presentation, we’ll touch a bit more on each guy. Click the phrase near each footballer’s name where highlighted/hyperlinked for more on the transfer narrative.
Werner
Costa Torres Rodriguez
De Bruyne Aouar
Caleta-Car Stones Skriniar Bonucci
N/A
Starting up top, RB Leipzig will have a real challenge in holding on to Timo Werner, as any club with a lot of money and designs on the German international will have a chance of prising him away. Looking to the attacking middle, according to Italian reports, Juventus would be willing to offer Douglas Costa as part of a deal to bring Gabriel Jesus the other way.
Elsewhere, both Manchester clubs, and Liverpool are hot on the trail for 20-year-old Valencia star Ferran Torres.
Real Madrid outcast and wing player James Rodriguez is potentially looking for a new home, with City among the clubs that could be in play for the Colombian.
Moving back to the middle, Belgian outlets report that no UCL competition for City means that Kevin De Bruyne wants to move on to a place where he could compete in Europe. Meanwhile 21-year-old Lyon starlet Houssem Aouar is wanted by several big, rich clubs, including City.
However, the biggest action in the transfer window for City will likely be in the central defender position group. John Stones may be on his way out, with Leonardo Bonucci, from Juventus coming in as his potential replacement.
Other central defenders in play for a move to the Emirates include Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar and Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car.
All Transfer Rumor Starting XI Series
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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