First the Manchester United laundry ladies and now the Uefa website – it seems nobody wants to let clubs have their bells and whistles transfer announcements anymore.
Entering the final weeks of the transfer window fans of all clubs (particularly Arsenal) are desperate for news of players joining – players that can make a difference, players who constitute the missing piece of the jigsaw, players like Samir Nasri John Stones.
It would seem that the Everton defender/defensive liability who has been at the centre of two protracted transfer sagas in the past two summers seems to be on his way out of Goodison Park – like Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert, who were released without their knowledge last week.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola are seemingly very confident of succeeding where Jose Mourinho and Chelsea failed last summer by bringing the “ball-playing” centre-half to the Etihad.
The source of this exciting development? The Uefa website of course, who list England international Stones among the Manchester City squad for their Champions League play-off with Steaua Bucharest next week.
The deadline for registering your squads was midnight, so while City have not yet completed a deal worth a reported £40 million, they are clearly confident of getting it over the line before they head to Romania.
Stones has been handed the No24 shirt by a club he does not play for.
Stones registered in #MCFC squad for Champ Lge play-off? Judging by Uefa website, it appears so (HT @johnbennettbbc) pic.twitter.com/k9t5w7lF3H
— Oliver Kay (@OliverKay) August 9, 2016
With Vincent Kompany taking up his far to familiar position in the treatment room, alongside Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala, Guardiola is obviously ready to do whatever it takes to land the future of English defending.
He may even manage to offload Nasri and Wilfried Bony in the process. Result.
The Manchester City laundry staff were unavailable for comment at time of publishing.
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