Today’s bollox centre on the injury sustained to Matija Nastasic in the Barclays Asia Trophy win over Sunderland.
Various news outlets print that the Serbian may miss the start of the season after sustaining an ankle injury and that Manuel Pellegrini may seek defensive cover before the transfer window closes.
The new City boss had not ruled out the possibility of adding to his quartet of new signings in the post-match press conference.
"I said [before] that we could do something else before the Premier League starts but maybe we stay with the same squad,” Pellegrini stated, “At the moment we aren't that concerned about that but I'm very happy with the squad we have."
Jamie Jackson of the Guardian believes that the Chilean’s hand may be forced after Nastasic went off after 75 minutes in Hong Kong.
“Manuel Pellegrini, faces being without Nastasic for the opening game at home to Newcastle United on 19 August,” Jackson wrote.
“An MRI scan on Monday is expected to show he will be out for three weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in the 1-0 Asia Trophy final win over Sunderland.
“The manager is known to be an admirer of Pepe, although Madrid warned off approaches for the Portugal international earlier this month.”
It’s notoriously difficult to read anything into pre-season games but that hasn’t stopped the nation's journalists having a good go at it.
Mark Ogden of the Daily Telegraph spoke to TalkSport yesterday and stated his belief that Pellegrini has transformed the mood in the squad.
“He is very different to Mancini," Ogden said, speaking on the Weekend Sports Breakfast. "Mancini was very volatile. Pellegrini is a lot more relaxed and laid back and you can see that in the mood of the squad."
In other news, Barcelona are being linked with a move for City’s Spanish youth international, Denis Suarez.
The former Celta Vigo man has made one appearance for the first-team since joining City in 2011 and reports from Spain suggest he could be Nou Camp-bound this summer.
“Barcelona, not tempted by Luis Suarez's desire to leave the Premier League, are preparing a £3.5million bid to bring his namesake Denis back to Spain from Manchester City,” Matthew Morlidge of the Daily Mail reports.
“Suarez, who starred in Spain's Under-20 World Cup campaign in Turkey, is now being targeted by the Catalan giants according to Spanish paper Marca, to play for their B team next season.”
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[/spoiler]Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is giving midfielder Gareth Bale, 24, the 'silent treatment' over Real Madrid's bid to sign him. Daily Mirror
Levy has cut short his holiday to return to London to hold talks with Bale. DSSC
Real hope to complete a £95m deal for Bale, offering £51m plus Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, 25, and Portugal left-back Fabio Coentrao, 25, before they finish their tour of the United States on 11 August. Sun
Tottenham will move for Paris St-Germain's Argentina midfielder Javier Pastore, 24, if they sell Bale. Daily Star
Bayern Munich are ready to offer £40m for Chelsea defender David Luiz, 26 after boss Pep Guardiola put out feelers for the player while he starred for Brazil at the Confederations Cup. Sun
Luiz is not pushing to leave Chelsea, but Bayern Munich made contact with the London club over the weekend with a £34.5m bid. Daily Telegraph
Chelsea will wait until after Rio Ferdinand's testimonial against Sevilla on 9 August to make a second offer for Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The Blues believe that a hostile reaction towards the England striker, 27, will boost the chances of United agreeing to sell. Times
Trabzonspor have confirmed former Chelsea duo midfielder Florent Malouda, 33, and defender Jose Bosingwa, 30, will finalise their respective moves to the club on Monday night. DSSC
Liverpool pursue a loan move for versatile Benfica defender Lorenzo Melgarejo, 22, and see him as possible cover for Jose Enrique. Daily Mirror
Fulham are set to move for Aston Villa striker Darren Bent, 29, after discovering Italy forward Pablo Osvaldo, 27, intends to stay at Roma. Times
Crystal Palace want to sign Arsenal's Morocco striker Marouane Chamakh, 29, on a six-month loan deal. Sun
Arsenal could be disappointed in their chase for midfielder Bernard, 20, after the player's father confirmed that Brazilian team-mate, 27-year-old striker Hulk, has persuaded the youngster Porto would be a better club at which to develop. Daily Express
Former West Ham striker Carlton Cole, 29, is set to join French side St Etienne after failing to agree terms on a free transfer to Crystal Palace. Sun
QPR midfielder Park Ji-Sung is set to join former club PSV Eindhoven, whom he left for Manchester United in 2005, on a season-long loan deal. The South Korea winger, 32, flew to the Netherlands for a medical over the weekend. DSSC
Ex-Tottenham striker Gary Lineker and former chairman Lord Alan Sugar have been locked in a Twitter debate over Real Madrid's reported £86m offer for Spurs' Gareth Bale. Metro
Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse will play for the first team in Tuesday's friendly against Scottish side St Mirren. The 28-year-old has not been involved earlier in pre-season after refusing to wear the club's shirts branded with pay-day loan sponsors Wonga. Skysports.com
Fulham's Swedish midfielder Alexander Kacaniklic, 21, will miss the start of the Premier League campaign after he was injured during Sunday's 1-0 pre-season defeat by Werder Bremen. London 24
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes has taken to Twitter to reveal the exodus of players will continue in the coming weeks as the Hoops prepare for life in the Championship. Metro
AC Milan are keen on signing Argentine defender Matias Silvestre, 28, from local rivals Inter Milan. Corriere
Cameroon defender Henri Bedimo, 29, is close to leaving Montpellier for Olympique Lyonnais. L'Equipe
Former Champions League winner Edgar Davids, 40, says he will wear Barnet's number one shirt in midfield during this season's Skrill Premier campaign. Guardian
New Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola appeared to slap 22-year-old midfielder Thiago Alcantara in the face during a talk with his players on the pitch during the German Super Cup tie with Borussia Dortmund. Guardiola lost his first competitive game in charge of Bayern 4-2. DSSC
