Pep Guardiola has confirmed Manchester City are interested in signing Real Madrid right-back Danilo amid reports that a deal has been struck for the 26-year-old.
In his first press conference of pre-season, Guardiola spoke quite openly about City’s business and hopes for the ongoing transfer window.
Pep cautiously said that Danilo is “an option”, confirming the club’s interest without commenting on how advanced it is. He added that City are in talks to sign three or four more players in this busy transfer window.
PEP: We have options for players coming. Until the deal is done, out of respect for the other clubs, I won’t say other things.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 19, 2017
The boss ruled out of a move for Pepe Reina, despite reports of a bid having been made, and said Claudio Bravo will be part of next season’s squad along with new signing Ederson.
Concerning Alexis Sanchez, Pep remarked that Alexis is an Arsenal player and is not going anywhere unless Wenger allows him to go. He also kept quiet on Benjamin Mendy because “he’s a Monaco player”.
On the topic of outgoings, Pep reiterated that Sergio Aguero will not be leaving the club, despite apparent interest from Chelsea.
“You know my opinion about Sergio, and it’s not changed, he is our player and he will remain here,” the Catalan said.
Pep said that Kelechi Iheanacho has been “an honour to work with” as the 20-year-old gets ready to depart the club, most likely for Leicester City. Pep expects Kelechi’s move to be done in 10 days. City are likely to include a buy-back clause in that deal, meaning we could see the Nigerian back at the Etihad some day.
Wilfried Bony remained in Manchester to recover from a “small injury”, which could be code for “he’s leaving” – or maybe he really is injured.
