Manchester City

Manchester City have agreed personal terms with Jeremy Doku over a long-term deal having had a package worth 60m euros (£51.3m) accepted by Rennes for the Belgium winger, 21. (Fabrizio Romano), external

West Ham had agreed an £85m deal in principle with Manchester City to sell Lucas Paqueta before the transfer collapsed as a result of the Brazil midfielder, 25, being investigated for potential betting rule breaches. (Mail), external

Bayern Munich and Liverpool have both shown interest in signing England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 27, from Manchester City. (90min), external

Manchester City are close to agreeing new contracts with Portugal winger Bernardo Silva, 29, and England right-back Kyle Walker, 33. (ESPN), external

Read the latest transfer rumours here

BBC Radio Manchester's We're Not Really Here podcast have been discussing Phil Foden's new role and Etihad Stadium announcer Alex Kirkley feels Kevin de Bruyne's absence could help him: "He's talked about his relationship with Pep Guardiola before, I think there was a little bit of needle there you sensed last season when he wasn't quite getting in full time and coming in in fits and starts.

"Even with Gareth Southgate when he should have picked him he didn't, so I don't really know what was happening there. It was kind of a disjointed season for Phil, however it's sad to say that Kevin de Bruyne's injury has given Phil a chance in a position he wants to play more in.

"It's quite exciting to see what he can do and I think we saw against Newcastle the way that could go.

"With Phil Foden going down the middle, we used to see him in the academy, in the under-18s and some of the younger age groups for City, that's where he used to play. He always looked up to David Silva too and you can see flashes of that. You could see big chunks of that against Newcastle."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

We asked for your views on Saturday's game between Manchester City and Newcastle.

Here are some of your comments:

Manchester City fans

Ravi: Overall a good performance. Foden, Kovacic, Cole Palmer and Alvarez will do both the forward or attacking midfielder role in absence of KDB. Rodri and Bernardo Silva are the all-rounders.

Sam: Excellent result, especially after the exertions of the Super Cup on Wednesday. Foden was great and the defence was strong to keep the clean sheet. Bench was relatively weak, so if we can get a few more signings it’d be useful for the upcoming months. Onwards to Sheffield United next week!

Scott: This was one of our toughest tests, Newcastle are here to stay and compete at the pointy end of all competitions. The team is adjusting to the new and missing faces, as we know City do so well. Phil Foden played extremely well tonight. Alvarez was superb again with his fabulous goal. Nowhere near firing on all cylinders for City, but it is still August.

Marco: Wasn't the best performance from the lads, but not going to complain as City are masters of keeping the ball and dominating.

Newcastle fans

Bobby: I felt a couple of the reliable players didn't turn up. Mainly Joelinton but Isak, Almiron and Bruno were also off it. City were amazing, but it wasn't the 'intensity is our identity' Newcastle we've come to expect. Second half was better but felt Newcastle were a bit too thuggish.

Richard: I’m going to sound ‘cup half full’ but I think we’ll be a lot better after this defeat. You know Eddie will analyse the hell out of the game. He’ll work out why we fluffed our lines and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Also, we lost by the smallest margin at the toughest place in the world to get a result because we played badly.

Geordie exiled in Yorkshire: I am happy with last night. A 1-0 defeat to City is nothing to be ashamed of, they are Treble- winning champions after all. Miggy and Joelinton weren't at the races but Barnes provided a touch of sparkle when he came on. We switched off and were punished, you can't do that against teams like City. Bring on Liverpool.

Andrew: Botman was more than a match for Haaland! We learnt that both defences out-performed both attacks. Sadly, City's midfield out-performed our midfield. Foden was the winning difference again.

Image source, BBC

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis of Saturday's five fixtures from the 2023-24 Premier League seasob, plus goals from Friday's clash between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United.

If you missed Match of the Day then fear not- you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer here

Image source, Getty Images

Alan Shearer believes Phil Foden was "sensational" in Manchester City's win over Newcastle on Saturday.

Foden created seven chances from open play which was his most in a Premier League game in his 131st appearance in the competition.

Shearer told Match of the Day: "Foden was absolutely sensational, he was the best player by a mile.

"He looked so comfortable in that position, in the number 10 position in the middle. He’s superb at doing that, receiving the ball, getting into those little pockets in front of the back four and behind the midfield.

"His range of passing is excellent. With Kevin de Bruyne out injured he might get an extended opportunity to play there.

"Foden started just 22 Premier League games last season. He didn't start in the FA Cup and he didn't start in the Champions League final.

"So now is the time for him to say he wants to stay in team and play in that position. When you're getting the ball like he does, that performance was everything."

Watch Match of the Day on iPlayer

The Telegraph's Jim White says Dani Olmo could be a decent replacement for Manchester City while Kevin De Bruyne is out injured, but he told the Transfer Gossip Daily podcast "the problem is" he doesn't want to leave RB Leipzig: "Manchester City are missing that partnership with Haaland and De Bruyne which brought so many goals last season and they are hoping Olmo can do that. He can also score goals.

"It’s proof that Pep Guardiola does not mess about. City have got this incredible production line of young players coming through and others might say put them in while De Bruyne is out injured, but Guardiola isn’t going to risk that and wants to bring in someone good.

"The problem is, Dani doesn’t want to leave RB Leipzig."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, 25, says he is "happy" at RB Leipzig after being linked with a move to Manchester City as a possible replacement for the injured Kevin de Bruyne. (Bild - in German), external

Rennes have rejected a bid from West Ham for 21-year-old Belgium winger Jeremy Doku, who has also attracted interest from Manchester City. (Foot Mercato - in French)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Chris Bevan, BBC Sport at Etihad Stadium

Manchester City were missing some key players and were far from at their best, but they were still good enough to beat Newcastle, and they fully deserved their win.

Pep Guardiola's depleted squad were tired too, from their midweek trip to win the Uefa Super Cup in Athens, but they still caused the Magpies plenty of problems and also defended solidly - well, most of the time.

Newcastle scored five goals against Aston Villa on the opening weekend but here they were restricted to just one shot on target, which came after a defensive error saw Rodri gift the ball to Callum Wilson.

City's neat play kept Newcastle on the back foot and, often, defending in numbers. Much of that was down to the twinkle-toed Phil Foden but, alongside him in the centre of midfield, Mateo Kovavic was far more than just a steadying presence - this was the Croat's home debut but he looked like he has been part of Guardiola's team for years.

Then there was Julian Alvarez, who scored a superb winner. If Foden's display meant City did not miss the injured Kevin de Bruyne then the Argentina forward's finishing prowess made up for one of those rare days where Erling Haaland was off target when he let fly at goal.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden to BBC Sport: "It was the first game at home. We wanted to start in the right direction. The performance was top. I enjoyed being home. The fans were brilliant from minute one and it lifted us over the line.

"I feel I created quite a few chances for Haaland. He was unfortunate not to score. I played more inside. You create more centrally. I'm happy with my performance. I want to keep going in this direction with high standads I set myself.

"Julian, when I see him in training, he's always got this striker's instinct. He's ruthless. I was so happy for him that it went in.

"A player like Kev is so hard to replace. He's one of the best in the world. When you miss a player like that it's a very big blow. When we step up we do the job as well.

"We knew the opponent we were facing, how good they are. They're a fantastic team. They're very physical and seem to win every second ball. The performance was so high."

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to BBC Sport: “There are no words to express my gratitude for the performance we gave. It was really, really good.

"It is the second game but after what we done in the last season, we are still there.

"We spoke about mentality. The reason we won was about our mentality and we proved it again.

"Phil [Foden] is a reality as a player. He can play many positions. He is a real threat. I am really pleased. The way he behaves with everyone. The mentality is always there. That is the most important thing."

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji speaking to TNT Sports: "It felt amazing. Newcastle are a great team and it wasn’t easy against them. We did a good job. With the game in Greece the recovery was not as planned and it’s still early but showed a great game today.

"Always as defender it is good to keep a clean sheet. With the ball we played great. Overall we did great and I can’t remember 100% any chance of theirs.

"With John Stones' injury I had two or three training sessions in there and I’m starting to feel pretty comfortable now but I think it’s the fifth position I’ve played in this team now.

"Phil [Foden] is so good with his back to goal. He moves between the spaces as we saw again today and I hope he continues doing it this season."

• Manchester City have now won each of their last 11 Premier League games at the Etihad Stadium – only once have they had a longer such run under Pep Guardiola (14 games between September 2017 and March 2018).

• Newcastle have lost their last 15 games against City in the Premier League – their longest ever losing run away from home against an opponent in their league history.

• Phil Foden created seven chances from open play in this match, his most in a single Premier League game.

• Newcastle recorded just one shot on target at the Etihad Stadium. This is their join fewest in a Premier League game under Eddie Howe.

• Manchester City didn’t make any substitutions in a Premier League game for the first time since May 2022, while it was just the sixth time in 268 league games in charge of the club that Guardiola hasn’t made any changes.

Defending champions Manchester City reminded their title rivals they remain the team to beat by seeing off a determined Newcastle United side that have been touted as possible pretenders to their crown.

Julian Alvarez's brilliant first-half strike proved enough to maintain City's winning start to the Premier League season against a Magpies team who battled hard but possessed modest attacking threat for much of the match.

Phil Foden provided the creative sparkle for City in the absence of Kevin de Bruyne, who faces up to six months out after hamstring surgery this week.

The England playmaker set up Alvarez's goal and created more chances after the break, with Erling Haaland wasting the best of them when he fired wide.

Newcastle matched City in midfield and upset the home crowd with their physical approach, with Foden on the receiving end of a couple of heavy challenges.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from home?

Man City fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Newcastle fans?

Follow all the reaction here

There are six games being played in the Premier League on Saturday and we'll bring you every moment.

Follow all the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton will be making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of rivals. Next up is DJ, producer and Newcastle fan Anish Kumar.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Newcastle threw a lot at City at the start of last season when they drew 3-3 at St James' Park and I think they will cause them lots of problems this time too.

City have not been near their very best so far this season, but still beat Burnley and overcame Sevilla on penalties to win the Uefa Super Cup.

Eddie Howe's side will ask very different questions to both of those sides and I am expecting another really good game.

I was tempted to go with a draw here because City played in midweek, but they are at home and they should come out on top, just about.

Newcastle are good, but they are not that good... although, as a fan, Anish should really be saying they will win.

Anish's prediction: It's hard to expect anything here but they say never back against your team so I'll be optimistic and say we can salvage a late draw with a Callum Wilson equaliser. No Maxi [Allan Saint-Maximin] this time to run them ragged like he did at St James' at the start of last season and City are strong, but I've got to put faith in Eddie and the boys. The Toon Army will fill out the away end as usual. 1-1

Find out what Sutton and Anish predicted for the rest of the weekend's action here

Nicola Pearson, BBC Sport

Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Manchester City's Premier League game against Newcastle on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Guardiola confirmed that John Stones will miss the game with a muscular injury but is unsure how long he will be unavailable for. Ruben Dias may be available for this weekend.

• City returned from Greece after winning the Super Cup on Wednesday night and asked about the difficulties of this, he said: "We need this type of challenge, when we won what we won we are the team everyone wants to beat. We face difficulties now with important injuries, the calendar, but it is a chance to prove ourselves again."

• He added: "In sport and football there are always problems and that defines if you are a good team or not."

• Despite the winning start, he feels the team are "not at our best at our top" at the moment and asked fans to "stay with us because we need them".

• He also feels they will "need to adjust" but that the "spirit" is in the team, adding: "We open the doors to training and see the four trophies. The Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and now Super League there and how nice is that and how difficult is that. We love it."

• On opponents Newcastle, he feels they are "extraordinary" and said: "It is a Champions League team. If you are a team that qualifies it is because they are a really really good team."

• Asked whether they will compete with them for the title, he said: "If they handle the competitions this season, if they handle it well they can compete. It is different playing to one game a week, but if they can handle it they are contenders."

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