Sutton's predictions: Crystal Palace v Man Citypublished at 10:52 BST
10:52 BST
Crystal Palace had a poor start away to Everton and it looks like there's a bit of interest from Liverpool in Ismaila Sarr.
The one thing they can't do before the end of the window is lose all the best players. But I do think they've got a goal in them.
I thought Manchester City deserved to win against Bournemouth. They were a little bit clunky with Mark Guehi playing in midfield - a penny for the thoughts of Mateo Kovacic - but now they've got the youngster Ayyoub Bouaddi, although he'll need a bit of time to adapt.
I don't think this will be a cruise for City, I think they'll be pushed, but I think they'll get over the line. Erling Haaland didn't score last weekend so I expect him to get up to the mark.
Man City will be 'happy to see' Rodri againpublished at 19:28 BST 27 August
19:28 BST 27 August
Shamoon Hafez Manchester City reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City's director of football Hugo Viana says the club will be "happy to see" Rodri again after setting up a Champions League reunion with the Spaniard and his new club Barcelona.
City have been handed a tough league phase draw, also coming up against holders Paris St-Germain and Napoli.
Viana said: "The most important thing is to be here now, so of course there is games for you guys maybe more important or more enthusiastic than others, but for us all the games are very important.
"I was saying to one of my colleagues nowadays it's very difficult to compete with any team. So we have very good coaches, very good players everywhere. The players are physically in top shape. So we are ready to compete and the games are all very, very difficult.
"Of course, it's always a challenge to play against the European champions.
"Rodri is there (Barcelona), we are happy to see him again and also Napoli that we played last year and we had the pleasure to have Kevin on the field and of course facing that opponent and when you have friends on the pitch it's always good.
"And I'm happy also that I will see Sporting coming to Manchester, my former club, and I go to my country to face Porto. We go to France to play Lens, they were doing really well. AEK also, they were doing really well last season and Leipzig is a really tough opponent also."
Man City's eight Champions League opponents confirmedpublished at 17:41 BST 27 August
17:41 BST 27 August
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City's draw is complete - Enzo Maresca's side now know the eight sides they will be meeting in the Champions League's 36-club league phase.
The teams were seeded into four pots based on their results in Uefa competitions over the past five years, with pot one being the highest-ranked and pot four being the lowest-ranked.
Each club has been drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, but they can only play a maximum of two teams from one country and they cannot play against a team from their domestic league.
The 2023 Champions League winners will face: Paris St-Germain (home), Barcelona (away), Sporting (home), Porto (away), Napoli (home), Leipzig (away), AEK Athens (home), Lens (away).
The order of those fixtures will be announced by Uefa in due course.
League phase dates:
Matchday 1: 8-10 September 2026
Matchday 2: 13-14 October 2026
Matchday 3: 20-21 October 2026
Matchday 4: 3-4 November 2026
Matchday 5: 24-25 November 2026
Matchday 6: 8-9 December 2026
Matchday 7: 19-20 January 2027
Matchday 8: 27 January 2027
Knockout phase dates:
Knockout phase play-offs: 16-17 and 23-24 February 2027
Coventry move for Man City's Mfuni on loanpublished at 14:01 BST 27 August
14:01 BST 27 August
Shamoon Hafez Manchester City reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Newly promoted Coventry City are in talks to sign Manchester City defender Stephen Mfuni on a season-long loan deal.
The 18-year-old made his first-team debut as a substitute in the FA Cup third round last season, before going on to make eight appearances on loan at Watford in the Championship.
Several clubs from the second tier have reportedly been interested in signing Mfuni, but he now appears set to play under Frank Lampard at the CBS Arena.
Coventry have been busy in the transfer market on their return to the Premier League, signing 10 players so far for a total outlay of about £130m.
David Moyes' side are under no pressure to sell Ndiaye, whose contract runs until 2029, and are likely to demand a significant fee in the region of £70m to even consider a sale.
Jack Grealish's preference would be to go the other way and return to Everton should he leave City in the remaining days of the transfer window, sources have told BBC Sport.
The 30-year-old has appeared as a substitute in City's opening two games of the season, but new boss Enzo Maresca is open to letting the Englishman leave the club before Tuesday's transfer deadline.
Grealish spent last season with the Toffees, scoring twice and providing six assists in 20 appearances, before sustaining a season-ending foot injury in January.
Everton chief executive Angus Kinnear recently told BBC Radio Merseyside the club have "remained in contact" with the player.
Grealish's former club Aston Villa are also believed to still be interested in re-signing their ex-captain, but City sources say there have been no concrete offers from any club so far this summer.
Maresca on not rushing Bouaddi, Grealish future and Crystal Palacepublished at 11:44 BST 27 August
11:44 BST 27 August
Katie Stafford BBC Sport journalist
Media caption,
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park (kick-off 20:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Midfielder Elliott Anderson "is fully fit" and was only substituted off against Bournemouth because he had cramp.
Jeremy Doku is still unavailable, while Maresca remains unsure about Matheus Nunes "as he's not 100% still".
Maresca did not rule out the possibility of Marc Guehi playing in midfield again: "We will see. It is an option. The good thing about Marc is that, in this moment, he gives us one more option in the middle."
In response to whether he will look to sign any more players before Tuesday's deadline: "Anything can happen so we will have to see."
On Ayyoub Bouaddi and whether he's ready to play: "Yeah, he is ready. He was working with his former club, so he is fit. We will see how long he needs in terms of adaptation, but he's ready to work." Maresca added that they "need to go slowly" with the 18-year-old because of his age and "there's no rush for him".
He said Omar Marmoush is set to join Tottenham Hotspur on loan, but the deal "is not done yet".
On Jack Grealish's future at City: "Jack is here and it's my duty to try to help him to give us the best [options]. Then we will see in the next four or five days what is happening. I speak with Jack almost every day."
On opponents Crystal Palace: "Palace away is always complicated. They are a good team and a new manager has arrived. You can see from the games in pre-season and their opening Premier League game that it is quite clear what they want to do. It is going to be a tough game."
Man City unveil AI-inspired kit created by fan on 'lunch break'published at 08:03 BST 27 August
08:03 BST 27 August
Shamoon Hafez Manchester City reporter
Image source, Manchester City
Manchester City have unveiled a new AI-inspired design for this season's third kit - the first time in professional football that such a tool has been used.
Supporters were given the opportunity to design the Puma kit using a custom generative AI tool which turns written prompts into kit designs within seconds.
City fans from more than 200 countries forwarded their vision for what the third kit should look like, resulting in more than 180,000 unique shirts.
Following 1.7m ratings, the most popular kits were shortlisted to the final 10, which went to fan vote in January 2025 and the winning design was selected.
Lifelong City fan Elliott, who designed the winning kit, said: "City has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, so to have designed a kit that will now be worn by the players is a genuine honour.
"I have always loved football shirts and design, and I created mine using Puma's AI creator on my lunch break, never imagining it could actually become a City kit.
"The whole experience has been incredible, from seeing people react to the design, to seeing it on the players for the first time when I was invited to the kit shoot."
Five Premier League clubs await Champions League drawpublished at 06:50 BST 27 August
06:50 BST 27 August
Jonty Colman BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
The league phase draw for the 2026-27 Champions League takes place at 17:00 BST in Monaco.
A total of 36 teams will take part in the league phase and each team will face eight different teams once, with four home matches and four away matches.
For the draw, the 36 teams will be placed into four pots, with one being the highest-ranked and four being the lowest. The pot placements are based on the clubs' Uefa club coefficient ranking from the five-season period ending at the conclusion of 2025-26.
Each team will face two teams from each of the four pots and cannot face a team from the same country as themselves.
The teams who finish in the top eight will qualify for the last 16. Those between ninth and 24th will enter the play-off knockout round. The 12 teams ranked between 25th and 36th will exit the competition when the league phase is concluded.
Premier League clubs Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal all feature in pot one alongside back-to-back Champions League winners Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Aston Villa and Manchester United both return to the Champions League this season after not featuring last term. They are in pot two with Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.
O'Reilly hailed as 'shining example' after PFA award winpublished at 19:15 BST 26 August
19:15 BST 26 August
Shamoon Hafez Manchester City reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City full-back Nico O'Reilly has been hailed as a "shining example" after collecting the PFA Men's Young Player of the Year award on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old made a match-winning contribution by scoring two goals in last season's Carabao Cup final and also won the FA Cup, as well as helping England to third place at the World Cup.
O'Reilly's accolade at Manchester's Opera House means five of the past six winners of the award have come through City's academy, following in the footsteps of Phil Foden (twice), Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.
"Seeing Nico win the award was an incredibly proud moment for everyone connected to our academy," said City's academy director Thomas Krucken.
"His success is testament to the hard work of the academy staff and coaches who guided him on his journey from our Under-9s all the way towards senior football.
"Nico is an inspiration to everyone at the academy. He is a shining example of how to approach the world of football and be successful. We are all really proud of him and want to send our best wishes to him and his family.
"Having five of the past six winners of the PFA Young Player of the Year award from our academy is an extraordinary achievement for us."
O'Reilly beat team-mate Rayan Cherki, Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo, Bournemouth's Junior Kroupi, Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha and Arsenal's Max Dowman to the award.
'A very special day' - Bouaddi completes City movepublished at 15:55 BST 26 August
15:55 BST 26 August
Image source, Getty Images
New Manchester City signing Ayyoub Bouaddi says it is a "dream" to join "the best club in the world".
The 18-year-old Morocco midfielder has moved from Lille in a £85.6m deal and signed a five-year deal with City.
Enzo Maresca's side moved to sign Bouaddi after selling central midfielders Rodri to Barcelona in a £65m deal, Tijjani Reinders to Al-Qadsiah for £52m and agreeing to let Nico Gonzalez join Newcastle in a deal worth up to £52m.
"This is a very special day for me and my family," Bouaddi said on the move.
"Manchester City are, for me, the best club in the world. It's a dream to be here and be able to call myself a City player. I have spent most of my life working hard to become the best player I can be and reach the top of the game.
"I've watched City for many years, and I love their style of play. City always try and play quality football. And they have shown they are winners – this club feels like it's built to win.
"I have plenty of improving to do. I am only 18. This is undoubtedly the best place for me to do that.
"This club demands trophies and I will give everything to make sure we are challenging for every title."
City Director of Football Hugo Viana added: "Ayyoub's potential is extremely high - a player equipped with everything a top midfielder needs.
"At just 18, he already has outstanding football intelligence and that will only improve under the guidance of Enzo.
"We have watched him very, very closely and throughout that process we have become increasingly convinced he is a huge talent who will thrive at City."
Player exits 'part of game' and 'shows club are being decisive' - fan viewspublished at 15:54 BST 26 August
15:54 BST 26 August
Manchester City confirmed the signing of teenage Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi on Wednesday and links to Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez continue.
Meanwhile, with Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush on the verge of leaving the club, we asked whether you are concerned by the number of players exiting during the summer transfer window.
Here are some of your comments:
James: Not one bit concerned. Drastic action needs to be taken. We've been slowly floating into the abyss with certain squad players and this shows the club are being decisive. The trick will be replicating the old City transfer activity going forward. The majority of players leaving aren't City class and their sales represent fantastic value to the club. Let's get the new signings right and move on.
Andy: With the exceptions of Bernardo Silva and Rodri, City's outgoings could fairly be described as fringe players, the majority of whom they have made a profit on. To get two young but already proven talents like Anderson and Bouaddi in return seems like good business.
Sean: Pep had stated previously that he felt the overall squad was too big. However, we have lost players in key positions without really replacing them. My biggest concern is the lack of depth in defence. Ake, Akanji and Stones have gone and, with no new defensive players brought in, we need one more I believe. We appear to be looking for a replacement for Marmoush which is wise. As for the overall squad, change was inevitable with Pep leaving and we will need time to bed new players in.
Liam: Not concerned by a 'fire sale', these are fringe players that haven't made the grade, and allowing space for new (and hopefully better) signings and our home grown players like Rico Lewis and Nico O'Reilly to get real chances to establish themselves in the team. This is the chance now for Hugo Viana to show his value as director of football and stamp his mark on the squad. Let's hope he can live up to what Txiki created for Pep!
Harry: Haven't cared one bit until the sale of Gonzalez. Everyone else either wanted to leave or they weren't good enough for City. I think Nico was a perfect bench option and, more importantly, he wanted to stay. With so much change happening, why we would remove what's left of the good vibes and replace it with Enzo Fernandez is beyond me. I don't recognise this club.
Andrew: Exits are part of the game, although I would prefer that Rodri, Bernardo and Stones were still in the house. Recruitment is the key issue, better to go with real quality like Anderson and Bouaddi - big positives on them and Semenyo, Guehi in January. Fernandez not good enough even at half the asking.
O'Reilly wins prestigious PFA awardpublished at 15:54 BST 26 August
15:54 BST 26 August
Media caption,
Manchester City defender Nico O'Reilly succeeded Morgan Rogers to become the 2026 men's Young Player of the Year at the Professional Footballers' Associations awards.
The 21-year-old paid tribute to former boss Pep Guardiola, who gave the youngster his City debut in 2024.
"Pep was a great manager. He put his trust in me, which I can only be grateful for. He helped me so much on the pitch and off the pitch as a person. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be sat in this position right now. Thank you to him," said O'Reilly.
The versatile playmaker contributed eight goal involvements (five goals) and helped secure nine clean sheets in 34 league outings, scoring twice, and was named player of the match as City beat Arsenal in the League Cup final.
"It means a lot obviously to get recognised by the players that you play with and play around," he added. "It is a huge award to win. Obviously, the players that have won it before have gone on to do massive things themselves."
Since making his debut, O'Reilly has won the FA Cup, Community Shield and League Cup.
"It feels amazing," he continued. "To even be part of this team is a huge and great feeling, but to help them out and help this team out to win trophies or win games, it is an amazing feeling. Obviously, I came through the academy, and I have been here all my life, so it means even more."
