Here’s your daily round-up of the latest transfer gossip from World Soccer.
CITY’S TOP TARGET
After a summer chasing Lionel Messi, Manchester City have now reportedly ended their interest in the Barcelona star and decided on a new top target.
According to Miguel Delaney in The Independent, transfers were a prominent feature of Pep Guardiola’s recent contract discussions, and the former Barcelona boss identified Jack Grealish as the player he wants to rebuild the team around. One sticking point might be the Aston Villa captain’s price tag: his latest contract has reported a £100m buyout clause.
Jack Grealish scores against Southampton for Aston Villa (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
ISCO WANTS OUT
Rumours about the future of the Real Madrid and Spain midfielder have been rumbling for a few weeks, and his agent/father has added fuel to the fire by confirming that his son would like to try another league.
Having been linked with his former manager and team-mate at Everton, Carlo Ancelotti and James Rodriguez, the latest reports suggest that Internazionale could be his destination. The Italians could offer Christian Eriksen in a swap deal, who has also been the subject of frequent speculation.
Isco runs with the ball during the Liga match between Espanyol and Real Madrid (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
BARCA GETTING DESPERATE
Barcelona have an injury crisis, with only one fit centre-back at the club following injuries to Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Ronald Araujo.
Having been linked with Manchester City’s Eric Garcia since the summer, the club could be forced into a more urgent short-term purchase in the shape of Ezequiel Garay. The 34-year-old Argentine has been a free agent since leaving Valencia in the summer.
Ezequiel Garay challenges forward Lionel Messi (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP) (Photo by JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)
