Ruthless Pep Guardiola insists Man City will do EVERYTHING they can to sign Harry Kane but admits it’s now down to whether Tottenham want to negotiate… then claims Lionel Messi is ‘now NOT in our plans’ after signing £100m Jack Grealish
- Pep Guardiola stressed Manchester City will do all they can to sign Harry Kane
- Guardiola stated that the deal will be over if Tottenham don’t want to negotiate
- City manager ruled out the possibility of bringing Lionel Messi to the club
Pep Guardiola admitted that Manchester City are waiting for encouragement to negotiate with Tottenham for Harry Kane.
The City manager broke his habit of retaining silence on transfer targets by confirming that Kane is of interest to the Premier League champions.
City want to ascertain whether it is possible to land Kane after breaking the British transfer record to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100million. Daniel Levy values Kane at £150m.
Pep Guardiola has revealed Manchester City will do their utmost to try and sign Harry Kane
Guardiola insisted that a deal for Kane is dependent on Tottenham’s willingness to negotiate
The City manager ruled out the possibility of Lionel Messi joining after his Barcelona departure
‘If Tottenham don’t want to negotiate, it’s finished,’ Guardiola said. ‘If they are open then all the clubs in the world will want to sign him.
‘It depends on Tottenham. Harry is an extraordinary striker. We are interested in him but if Tottenham don’t want to negotiate, nothing more to say.’
Guardiola claimed that City would not have been able to take Grealish to the Etihad Stadium had it not been for the sale of youngsters earlier in the summer.
‘It’s a lot of money but we sold around £60m,’ he added. ‘We couldn’t afford it otherwise. We sold young players for £60m, then you can afford it.
Guardiola says City wouldn’t have been able to sign Jack Grealish if they didn’t sell youngsters
Although they previously worked together, Guardiola isn’t planning for a reunion with Messi
‘He’s 26 years old, he can play the next six or seven years here and we have an incredibly huge talent. Not just the skills, the mentality. He is the No 10 because we’re convinced with Grealish.
‘We need few players but who can raise the level of the players already here. Otherwise, after winning a lot of titles it’s difficult to make a step forward. Jack could have decided whatever he wanted. He said he wanted Man City. It’s an honour and hopefully he can settle as quickly as possible.’
Quizzed on free agent Lionel Messi and the potential to switch focus to the Argentine, Guardiola said: ‘Right now it’s not in our thoughts, absolutely not. It was a surprise for everyone, me included.
‘Joan Laporta was clear. I didn’t speak with the player or president so I don’t know what has happened. If you’ve got so much money lost in a year, the decision has been made.
‘What happened there in the last years was really not good. I have incredible gratitude as a fan. He helped me become a better manager. Barcelona dominated the world with him. I wish him the best.’
