“We have followed Ferran’s progress closely and have been very impressed,” Begiristain said.
“He is young and still developing, but his technical qualities are exactly what we are looking for in a winger. He is quick, direct, can create space with one movement and is capable of producing match-winning moments.
“I feel this is the perfect place for him to develop and with Pep in charge he can take his game to the next level.”
“I am so happy to be joining City,” Torres said. “Every player wants to be involved in attacking teams and Manchester City are one of the most attacking in world football.
“Pep encourages a really open, aggressive style, which I love, and he is a manager with a proven track record of improving players. To have him overseeing my development is a dream.
“City have won plenty of trophies in the last 10 years and I hope I can play a role in continuing that success.”
“We are ready to fight and we have to compete,” he told City’s official website.
“We are working every day to win this game. It’s a big competition.
“Hopefully we can win and progress to the next phase.”
“I know the talent Phil has and what he can give to the team. Eric came from the Academy and he has proven he can be a centre-back in this team.
“It’s good news for us that those players are growing because they will be very important.
“The good thing is they are so young and they have lots of progression. That is the greatest thing you can say about them.
“They are showing this level and they are only 20-years-old. When they get to 25 or 26 I think they can be top level.”
“I am really confident. They are a great team and they can beat you, because they are Real Madrid, but we have to show them we are a better team.
“We showed them at their home, but we need to be ready because you never know what is going to happen. We have to be focused.
“They are the greatest team in La Liga and they have shown that this year. We need to do our best to get to the next round.”
“Sergi Roberto has no plans to leave Barça.
“Now there are no clubs showing interest and Barça has not submitted any proposals for the player to us.”
“What is true in the rumors about Kalidou Koulibaly in Manchester City? There is nothing true for now. We have side-polls, but the British have taken Akè.”
“I think Jurgen Klopp [is my favourite] and after that Pep Guardiola. 100 per cent.
“[Klopp] has two faces. You can see that he is kind of like a father, but the second part is like a coach, a manager.”
“I think I still have two years in the legs, but the years spent with Pep Guardiola made me want to become a coach. I am going to give it a go because I love the way he conducts himself as manager.
“I want my three years here in Turkey, I’ve liked that I could be important to players around me.
“(After that) England is an option and staying in Turkey is an option. England is a place I love, but I call it home and coming back home would be great for my family and me.”
“They (City) can never be regarded as an elite club in Europe and worldwide until they have won the Champions League.
“You can’t put them in Manchester United’s, Liverpool’s, Chelsea’s or Celtic’s category. City can’t be regarded as a European great.”
“Nottingham Forest? Yes, elite. They are in an elite league. History counts.
“It doesn’t matter about the bank balance, they (City) haven’t won the Champions League.”
“I think your club’s history is made by the trophies you win. At the beginning of the season we realistically could have won the Europa League, the League Cup or the FA Cup, we obviously weren’t going to win the title.
“And I would rather win the FA Cup than come second in the Premier League…
“Those Arsenal players have now embellished themselves on Arsenal’s history. Arsenal fans will now remember that game and that group of players.
“If you come second, third or fourth in the league no one really remembers you, you’re not part of the fabric of that football club.”
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has named Manchester City as one of his two favourites for this year’s Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s side will meet Real Madrid at the Etihad on Friday in the last-16 tie, having beaten the Spanish giants 2-1 in the first leg in March.
Should City progress past Madrid on Friday, they will advance to Lisbon for an eight-team knockout tournament. Quarter-final and semi-final ties will take place over one leg ahead of the final on Sunday August 23.
City have never won the Champions League, and the club’s hierarchy have made no secret of their desperation to pick up the biggest club prize in world football.
And Wenger, who is now FIFA’s head of football development, has named Guardiola’s side and Paris Saint-Germain as his frontrunners for this year’s prize.
“When you are playing a match against Atalanta or Atletico Madrid, anything can happen,” he told Europe 1. “But for me, Manchester City and PSG are the two favourites in terms of their potential.”
A recap of today’s City news.
City have apparently made an enquiry for Atletico Madrid winger Joao Felix, the Athletic report.
Felix only moved to Atletico last summer for a world record £113m for a teenager, but he had an inconsistent season at the Wanda Metropolitano.
So could City be about to pounce in what the report says will be a £300m spending spree this summer?
Get the low down on City’s latest signing.
Manchester City have completed their first signing of the summer as Ferran Torres has joined the club Valencia for £20.8million.
The Spanish winger has been brought in to replace the departed Leroy Sane and comes highly rated after a breakthrough season in La Liga.
Here are the numbers he could wear at City this season.
City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain has explained why the club have moved to make Ferran Torres their first signing of the summer.
“We have followed Ferran’s progress closely and have been very impressed,” Begiristain said.
“He is young and still developing, but his technical qualities are exactly what we are looking for in a winger. He is quick, direct, can create space with one movement and is capable of producing match-winning moments.
“I feel this is the perfect place for him to develop and with Pep in charge he can take his game to the next level.”
Ferran Torres has spoken for the first time after signing a five-year deal at City. He told the club’s official site:
“I am so happy to be joining City,” Torres said. “Every player wants to be involved in attacking teams and Manchester City are one of the most attacking in world football.
“Pep encourages a really open, aggressive style, which I love, and he is a manager with a proven track record of improving players. To have him overseeing my development is a dream.
“City have won plenty of trophies in the last 10 years and I hope I can play a role in continuing that success.”
It’s as part of their sell on clause on the winger.
Aymeric Laporte has sent a battle cry to Real Madrid and warned the Spanish giants that City are ready to fight in their Champions League tie.
“We are ready to fight and we have to compete,” he told City’s official website.
“We are working every day to win this game. It’s a big competition.
“Hopefully we can win and progress to the next phase.”
Manchester City have included young goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu in their squad for the final stages of the Champions League season.
City are back in action on Friday as they play the second leg of their last-16 tie against Real Madrid, with the Blues leading 2-1 from the first leg.
If City navigate that tie, they will travel to Lisbon for the quarter-final, against Juventus or Lyon. A semi-final would see them play one of Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Napoli.
PSG, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid or RB Leipzig would await in the final.
Ahead of the Real Madrid game, City have confirmed their final changes to their 25-man squad, with Leroy Sane dropping out after leaving the club to join Bayern Munich.
Get the full squad here.
Rodri is predicting big things from Phil Foden and Eric Garcia.
He said:
“I know the talent Phil has and what he can give to the team. Eric came from the Academy and he has proven he can be a centre-back in this team.
“It’s good news for us that those players are growing because they will be very important.
“The good thing is they are so young and they have lots of progression. That is the greatest thing you can say about them.
“They are showing this level and they are only 20-years-old. When they get to 25 or 26 I think they can be top level.”
Rodri tells Man City that City need to be at their best to beat Real Madrid on Friday – but the Blues are more than capable of reaching the Champions League quarter final.
He said:
“I am really confident. They are a great team and they can beat you, because they are Real Madrid, but we have to show them we are a better team.
“We showed them at their home, but we need to be ready because you never know what is going to happen. We have to be focused.
“They are the greatest team in La Liga and they have shown that this year. We need to do our best to get to the next round.”
Leeds are close to sealing another season-long loan for Jack Harrison, according to the Mirror.
They say Harrison will spend a third season on loan at the newly-promoted side, rather than make the move permanent this summer.
That tallies with what Leeds director Victor Orta sais recently, with the new loan deal said to have an option to make the move permanent at the end of next season.
Ferran Torres’ medical has been completed and contracts signed, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Sergi Roberto’s agent has dismissed any talk of his client leaving Barcelona amid plenty of speculation in Spain that the full-back is wanted by Manchester City.
He told Onda Cera (via FootballInside):
“Sergi Roberto has no plans to leave Barça.
“Now there are no clubs showing interest and Barça has not submitted any proposals for the player to us.”
The 2019/20 season started one year ago today as City beat Liverpool in the Community Shield on penalties.
Raheem Sterling opened the scoring, but a Joel Matip goal took the game to penalties, where City prevailed.
Congratulations to City Women and England defender Demi Stokes, who has announced her engagement to her partner.
And a good week for Nathan Ake got better as he got engaged while on holiday, too!
More from the Sport report into Barcelona’s interest in Eric Garcia, as SportWitness relay the finer details of the story.
They say Sport believe signing Garcia will be a simple operation because of his contract situation at City, and that the Blues will ‘open the door’ to selling him to fund their own signings.
Apparently City want a new right back, with Barca’s Sergi Roberto an option. However, Barcelona would instead prefer to sell Nelson Semedo to City in a deal that could also see Joao Cancelo move to Barca.
Yep, we’re back to those Cancelo-Semedo rumours again, but this time with Garcia involved in the mix.
Ferran Torres will have his City medical today, and all going well, will sign his contract with the club.
Nathan Ake is on holiday and is expected to complete his move to City when he returns next week.
Full details:
Corriere Dello Sport journalist Antonio Giordano (via AreanaNapoli) says City have not made any approach for Kalidou Koulibaly, and the move for Nathan Ake could be in place of Koulibaly.
He said:
“What is true in the rumors about Kalidou Koulibaly in Manchester City? There is nothing true for now. We have side-polls, but the British have taken Akè.”
Robert Lewandowski is one of few players to have played under both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, and it’s the current Liverpool boss who he prefers.
Speaking to ESPN, he said:
“I think Jurgen Klopp [is my favourite] and after that Pep Guardiola. 100 per cent.
“[Klopp] has two faces. You can see that he is kind of like a father, but the second part is like a coach, a manager.”
According to Sport, Barcelona have two transfer objectives: Lautaro Martinez and Eric Garcia.
However, the paper says Barca must sell before bringing anyone in.
That’s right, a youngster widely linked with joining the City Football Academy has instead signed for Solihull Moors.
And in fairness to the National League side, they took the transfer coup well!
Former City defender Gael Clichy, still playing for Istanbul Basaksehir, says his time with Pep Guardiola at City has inspired him to take up coaching when he retires from playing.
He told BBC Sport:
“I think I still have two years in the legs, but the years spent with Pep Guardiola made me want to become a coach. I am going to give it a go because I love the way he conducts himself as manager.
“I want my three years here in Turkey, I’ve liked that I could be important to players around me.
“(After that) England is an option and staying in Turkey is an option. England is a place I love, but I call it home and coming back home would be great for my family and me.”
El Transistor in Spain say Txiki Begiristain, Omar Berrada and Ferran Soriano will be in Barcelona today for Ferran Torres’ medical and to oversee the signing of the Valencia winger.