One of Manchester City's summer signings is reportedly attracting interest from Premier League rivals Newcastle Unitedplaceholder image
One of Manchester City's summer signings is reportedly attracting interest from Premier League rivals Newcastle United | Getty Images
One of Manchester City's summer signings is reportedly attracting interest from Premier League rivals Newcastle United
Manchester City are looking towards Arsenal as they aim to chase down the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table once the international break comes to and end.
Mikel Arteta’s side drew 2-2 with Sunderland in their last outing and City made the most of those dropped points as they defeated Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. They are now four points behind Arsenal.
One of the key’s to a potential title charge for Man City will be the performances of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The former Paris Saint-Germain star has kept four clean sheets in eight Premier League appearances, making 15 saves.
He has yet to concede more than one goal in a Premier League game has won six of the eight games he has been involved in for City.
"He is so tall, he is so huge," Pep Guardiola said of Donnarumma, after he had signed for City . "[From] all the keepers we want is safe balls, give confidence to the team, have personality and a big presence.
"In the biggest stages in the Champions League last season, at Villa Park, Anfield and in many games, he proved how good he is. He is going to concede goals, that is for sure, but all of us, we are going to try to handle it."
Newcastle Utd want to sign James Trafford
The only person at City who may have been unhappy with the arrival of Donnarumma is James Trafford. The ex-Burnley man joined City in the summer in a £27m deal and played in the club’s Premier League games in August.
However, he was replaced by Donnarumma in mid-September and has been unable to get back into the squad.
The report states: “Sources close to the deal reveal he’s “desperate” for game time, viewing his City stint as a “wasted year” that stalled his rapid rise.”
Newcastle Utd tried to sign James Trafford before Man City hijacked deal
While Trafford will have been frustrated to see City sign Donnarumma, it is also a deal that will have left Newcastle raging too. Guardiola’s side reached an agreement with PSG on deadline day to sign the Italian for £26m.
That had come after the signing of Trafford for around £27m. City had a buyback clause worth £40m after selling Trafford to Burnley but also inserted a matching rights clause. Newcastle had agreed a £27m deal with Burnley which allowed City to offer the same amount and sign the player - for £13m less than the buyback clause.
With Trafford starting in the Premier League fixtures in August, Donnarumma then become available and City signed him. It left Newcastle’s number one goalkeeping target sat on the bench with City no longer needing him as their number one. There is no doubts about Trafford’s quality but Donnarumma is among the top goalkeepers in world football and him being available for £26m is not something City could turn down.
Interest from Newcastle along with the likes of West Ham and Tottenham could now see City turn an easy profit on Trafford who will be keen to boost his World Cup hopes with regular game-time elsewhere. It is still a frustrating situation for City’s Premier League rivals who would have liked to have Trafford at St James’ Park in the summer but now a January deal is possible.
Continue Reading