In news that will divide a city like nothing else before it, it has been reported that Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed personal terms with Manchester City.
The Portuguese winger, 36, has already spoken on the phone with Man City boss Pep Guardiola and it is understood that he will receive a salary of over £250,000 a week.
Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes is currently negotiating the Portugal captain’s exit from Juventus, who are eager to offload him in order to use revenue from his sale to begin a rebuild at the club.
Rumours are that City do not want to pay Juve’s desired £25 million fee and there is still a hell of a long way to go if this deal was to go through.
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Ronaldo’s agent also investigated Paris Saint-Germain as another possible destination, with Ronaldo interested in forming what would have been a sensational partnership with Lionel Messi, but the French juggernauts were unwilling to go forward on it.
With the likelihood that Pep will leave City in the next couple of years, this would be a prime opportunity to secure a world class striker and lift the Champions League trophy with the Etihad side before departing – and with Ronaldo’s hunger to do the same thing and bag another Ballon d’Or in the process, this deal seems all the more likely.
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Jorge Mendes is talking directly with #ManCity and is discussing personal terms/a contract for Cristiano Ronaldo. [via @FabrizioRomano]
However, Wayne Rooney is not convinced that former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo will join Manchester City ahead of the transfer window closing.
Rooney told Sky Sports: “I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest. If you are asking me ‘do I think it’s possible?’ I would have major doubts that it is a possibility.
“Cristiano has got a great legacy at Manchester United and I don’t think he would go somewhere for financial reasons.
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“So I would be a bit unsure if that is going to happen. I think there is more chance of it being PSG if he is to leave Juventus. But, on the other hand, it is football, anything can happen.
“It has happened before with big players and legends from Manchester United, in terms of Peter Schmeichel, who went to City. Andy Cole went to City. Mark Hughes managed City.
“It has happened before, but I think someone of Cristiano’s stature…. I can’t see it happening.”
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Manchester City have announced a special away day fan zone for festive fixture
Danny Jones
In a real added bonus for away fans making the roughly two-hour journey to their only fixture over the festive period, travelling Man City supporters are being treated to a dedicated away-day fan zone for their upcoming game against Nottingham Forest.
Now this is the kind of backing we want to see from big teams.
That’s right, for those visiting Nottingham for the meeting against the fellow Premier League side and one-time European Cup winners, Manchester City will be putting on a special and exclusive fan zone.
Confirmed on Christmas Eve ahead of the match this coming Saturday, 27 December, the club revealed a quick glimpse of the pop-up supporters’ park.
As detailed in the announcement, the public events space known as ‘The Nest’ will be open exclusively to away-ticket holders heading to the City Ground.
Perfect for a quick pit-stop before and after the clash, the venue is one of the closest you’ll find to the stadium itself and, better still, is located roughly just a 10-minute walk away from the railway station.
There will be a huge bar offering a wide selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, plus plenty of street food to enjoy. Here’s hoping the players don’t indulge in too many of those this Christmas, especially following Pep Guardiola’s ‘fatty’ comments.
They kick off at 12:30pm, but will everyone make the weight?…
Once again, Man City have advertised this as an away-day ticket-holder-only event, so we would probably call ahead and double-check if you’re a Blue who just so happens to live/be in the area and want to go along.
It also goes without saying that this will serve as an ideal and presumably trouble-free place to celebrate after the result, as it’s a strictly sky-blue event and we’d wager the title contenders and serial trophy winners to come out on top.
So, if you needed any extra assurance that making the approximately 81-mile trip to Nottingham, we’d say potentially going top at Christmas and cheersing a few pints with your mates on a would-be concourse designed just for you is plenty of added motivation.
As for those of you staying firmly in Greater Manchester this holiday season, there’s no reason you can’t still have a little away day of your own:
Featured Images — Manchester City (via X)/The Manc Group
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Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri set for another loan spell
Danny Jones
Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri is set for another loan deal this January following a disappointing time in Germany.
The South American youth product has spent the first half of this season out on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, but has struggled not only to make an impact but even to enjoy any real steady playing time.
Following reports earlier this month by The Athletic‘s Seb Stafford-Bloor that announced Echeverri’s loan would return to his Man City, it appears as though all parties concerned haven’t exactly gotten what they want out of the deal.
With that in mind, not only has his short-term agreement been cut short, but Echeverri is now set to join another City Football Group (CFG) club on a temporary contract, where he can crucially be assured more regular minutes.
As confirmed by the ever ubiquitous transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, Claudio Echeverri is now set to join Girona temporarily from the Premier League side.
Romano writes that “the Argentinian talent leaves Bayer Leverkusen after loan deal interrupted — as Echeverri was not playing.”
Stating that the 19-year-old will officially become a Girona FC player from 1 January onwards, he will no doubt provide some much-needed offensive firepower for the struggling Spanish side, with the Catalan club currently lingering in the La Liga relegation zone.
Following a somewhat reverse pattern of fellow forward, Savinho (who was signed by the French CFG franchise arm, Troyes, before being loaned to Girona and eventually bought by Man City), the attack-minded player remains a highly-rated youth prospect but has yet to fully announce himself.
He scored the first goal for his parent club back in June; it’s fair to say it was a bit of a corker…
Fast forward to now, though, and Echeverri will spend at least until next June representing Girona – no doubt dropping straight into the starting lineup as soon as possible.
At the moment, there is no suggestion of any permanent clause included in the agreement, but either way, ‘El Diablito’ is still a CFG asset, at the end of the day.
With that in mind, we’re sure they’ll move him around the sporting network however they see fit in search of a breakout spell.
Do you think it’s a good move for the young starlet, or would you like to see him back in Manchester, fighting his way into matchday squads?
The Manc -
27th August 2021 
