NoahCity said:
LoveCity said:
Well, the Rami news seems to have been briefed by City, as the giveaway is it starts appearing in all the papers at once (including the MEN). But I have a feeling the leak may be the usual pressure tactics to get Atletico to do a deal for Demichelis (though that doesn't mean City won't go for Rami).
Atletico haven't been able to get a bid accepted for his touted replacement (Alderweireld from Ajax) and are still asking an awful lot of money for a near 33-year-old who joined them on a freebie last month... so it's a stalemate and City really, really need a defender ASAP but Txiki isn't budging on his lower valuation of Demichelis.
I'd say just go for Rami who is like 5 years younger.
To be honest, I don't think age is of much concern in this particular pursuit of a defender. They want experience and the ability to conform to Pellegrini's style. Demichelis ticks both boxes and has the advantage of having recently played with Pellegrini. I think Rami is a valid backup option for what he wants, though. I am still quite surprised we haven't gone for Godin, who played for Pellegrini at Villarreal and was outstanding last season. But Demichelis was also outstanding last season despite his age. United had a mostly very old back line yesterday (34, 32, 31, 21) against Chelsea and defended very well against mobile young playmakers.