razman said:
Really? Joe to Stoke for loan?? For begovic for 15m
Just read on daily mirror. Can't paste it here as am on mobile
Friend just told me about this.
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini wants Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic to be his new number one.
And Joe Hart could head the other way for the second half of the season to preserve his England World Cup place.
The Blues are ready to bid up to £15million for Bosnia & Herzegovina international Begovic, who has proved to be one of the steadiest goalies in the Premier League.
The former Portsmouth star is strongly fancied by the Eastlands club's hierarchy and was lined up under then-manager Roberto Mancini when Hart’s form was first reviewed.
Although he has dropped Hart from his Premier League team after a series of errors, Pellegrini is not fully convinced by back-up Costel Pantilimon either.
Rather, he has decided the Potters' Begovic is the answer to his goalkeeping problems.
The fact that Begovic, 26, would be eligible for the Champions League's knockout stages makes him a live target for the January window.
Stoke will hold out for a massive fee for Begovic who has over two years of his contract left to run, but the Blues have plenty of cash to spend to solve this major issue.
Like a Bos: Stoke's Begovic is off to the World Cup with Bosnia-Herzegovina
Clive Rose
Hart is set to be offered to his former Eastlands boss Mark Hughes as part of the deal on a loan basis, with most of his £110,000-a-week wages paid by the Blues, giving Stoke a top keeper at a bargain price for the rest of the season.
The 26-year-old’s England place will come under pressure before the World Cup finals next summer if he loses his spot at the Etihad permanently.
Going to a Premier League rival has not done Hart any harm in the past - he spent a year at Birmingham, where he first made his name.
The Blues would also be happy to see Hart playing in the top flight and the World Cup to keep his confidence up - as well as his transfer value.
Same paper also has this.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has joined Manchester City’s growing worldwide fan club.
Pablo Zabaleta claims his Argentina pal has followed the Blues’ recent rise and asks about them when they meet up on national duty.
Barca superstar Messi will surely have been impressed by the 6-0 destruction of Tottenham on Sunday which featured another scintillating display by Sergio Aguero – another Argentina star.
Aguero struck twice to take his tally for the season to 15 and is now the deadliest striker in Premier League history in terms of goals per minutes on the pitch.
Zabaleta revealed that Messi always tells him he joined City at the perfect moment in 2008 because Sheikh Mansour bought the club days later, paving the way for the arrival of top quality talent such as Aguero.
“I remember when we were in Barcelona, we were very close friends,” said Zabaleta. “We had known each other for a number of years - I was just starting out at Espanyol and Lionel was at Barca.
“When I signed for City, I think two days later the news broke that Sheikh Mansour had bought the club and Lionel always recalls that I joined at such a fantastic time.
“He asked me a lot about City, but I couldn’t tell him much because I didn’t know much myself. It’s something we often talk about, plus the fact that I’m still here.”
"Tell me more about Shaun Goater!" Messi and Zabaleta in Argentina action
Getty
Spanish winger Jesus Navas, who cost City £14.9million from Seville in the summer, reckons Aguero will soon be classed alongside Messi as one of the world’s best players.
Navas said: “Sergio is among the best and right now he’s in really good shape. We all know about his capabilities.”
Aguero’s strike partner Alvaro Negredo also netted against Spurs and the pair have 25 goals between them.
And Navas believes Negredo and Aguero are fast becoming the Premier League’s most feared attacking duo.
He said: “They’re scoring very easily at the moment. The Premier League suits their style and that’s fantastic for us.
“I’m not surprised by Negredo because I already knew how good he was. He has always loved contact with defenders so this is the perfect league for him in my opinion.”
Navas registered his first two league strikes for City against Spurs, but says he will always be happy to be a goalmaker rather than a goaltaker.
“On a personal level, this was my best game for sure,” he said. “Scoring twice and also claiming an assist.
“I’ve always been known more for giving assists rather than scoring, but, of course, I enjoy scoring goals too. If I can score more here then that would be great.
“I like making other people happy. That’s why I’ve always been known for assists, but if I score more, then it helps.”
Aguero is Prem's most proficient striker... ever!
It’s official – Sergio Aguero is now the most prolific striker in Premier League history.
Aguero joined Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and has scored 45 goals in 5,379 minutes – one every 119.5 minutes.
While his total is still well behind that of Thierry Henry, who scored 175 league goals for Arsenal, Aguero is the most deadly of the players who have netted more than 40 Premier League goals.
1. Sergio Aguero
Goals: 45
Mins played: 5379
Mins per goal: 119.5
Simply the best: Aguero has the Prem's lowest minutes to goals ratio
Shaun Botterill
2. Thierry Henry
Goals: 175
Mins played: 21313
Mins per goal: 121.8
3. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Goals: 95
Mins played: 12178
Mins per goal: 128.2
4. Robin van Persie
Goals: 129
Mins played: 17239
Mins per goal: 133.6
5. Daniel Sturridge
Goals: 45
Mins played: 6518
Mins per goal: 144.8
6. Alan Shearer
Goals: 260
Mins played: 38183
Mins per goal: 146.9
7. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Goals: 91
Mins played: 13926
Mins per goal: 153.0
8. Michael Owen
Goals: 150
Mins played: 23033
Mins per goal: 153.6
9. Luis Suarez
Goals: 47
Mins played: 7242
Mins per goal: 154.1
10. Ian Wright
Goals: 113
Mins played: 17781
Mins per goal: 157.4.
It's the Mirror tho.