The line that came back from Red Bull was pretty strong. It is believable that maybe they might not sell unless completely satisfied. People can kid themselves otherwise but they are telling the truth, they made bank of their earlier sales, and have recruited well. JG will be utterly saleable in 12 months baring an astonishing injury.
As such, even if we are very confident the gap in negotiations is small and able to be bridged, of course, we must consider all possibilities. Like, uhh. Haven't we got a good CB anyway?
This summer's market is already a bit crazy, and the possibility is there for it to get a whole lot crazier. City will want to be well positioned in case something crazy did happen, like Barca phoned them up and offered Pedri for £110m.
Every twat on this board would go, noo problem, just give em t'money. But the board don't operate like that - they plan the books years in advance, with meticulous strategic planning.
I don't think there's more than a 1% chance of Pedri becoming available this summer. Mbappe and Kane mean, hmm, maybe someone else. But probably nothing we need to worry about too much.
I bet City have - after the last ten days - got a much stronger idea of what is likely to unfold this summer. And our needs will be that much clearer. That's how it must work. Outgoings sorted before committing to incomings - especially when the incoming is a £100m player for a position we are frankly not really struggling for.
