Manchester City

Bayer Leverkusen want to prevent their Germany attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from joining Bayern Munich this summer, with Manchester City and Real Madrid also interested in the 21-year-old. (Sky Germany - in German), external

Aston Villa are considering a move for Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 33, who will leave Manchester City at the end of the season. (Football Insider, external)

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Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Manchester City will host Bournemouth on Tuesday, 20 May in a re-arranged date for the Premier League fixture.

The match has been moved because of City's participation in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, which takes place three days before.

The 20:00 BST game at Etihad Stadium against the Cherries is City's penultimate league game of the season, and they will round off their campaign with a trip to Fulham the following Sunday.

City then have four weeks off before beginning their Club World Cup campaign against Moroccan side Wydad AC in the USA on Wednesday, 18 June.

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Pep Guardiola has been boosted by the return of star striker Erling Haaland and Ballon d'Or holder Rodri to full training this week.

But the Manchester City boss needed to be pushed in order to get an answer on the match involvement of the two players.

"He [Haaland] is getting better," Guardiola told me on Thursday. When I asked if he was ready to be involved, the City boss replied: "I don't think so."

The Sky Sports reporter then tried pushing him even further and Guardiola replied: "The doctor will tell me. I'm not a doctor."

That got a few giggles in the room.

The messaging was similar with regards to Rodri's involvement, saying: "The most important thing is Wolves. I have to select the best players to play against Wolves. This is the only concern I have.

"When the doctor tells me he can do it, I will start to think about it."

Sources told me on Wednesday that the Club World Cup in June is a realistic timeframe for his return to action, rather than the remaining four games of the Premier League campaign or the FA Cup final.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Wolves (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Guardiola said Erling Haaland "is getting better" but doesn't expect him to be fit enough to play a part in Friday's game.

• He said he is "really pleased" that Halaand and Rodri have been able to return to training this week, but he has no time frame for when Rodri can return.

• More on Rodri: "He feels really good. Everyday he is doing sessions but we have to wait and be careful. When the doctor says 'Rodri you are stable,' he can't start to play again. I don't know [when that will be] as I am not a doctor."

• His message to fans that are planning a demonstration before the game over ticket prices: "Come to help us. We need them. The fans want the Champions League and we want to be able to try to do what we have done for many years so we need them desperately. We need them from the first minute until the end."

• In response to whether he had spoken to City's CEO Ferran Soriano about their frustrations: "If I can help I will help. I am part of this club from the bottom and the top, but I am the manager and I do what I have to do to try and get the team to play as well as possible."

• On the race for Champions League qualification: "It's what we want. We have four finals. We will go for the first one [on Friday]."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Pep Guardiola will face the media this lunchtime as Manchester City prepare to face Wolves on Friday.

There's plenty to get stuck into with the Spaniard, including their opponents' excellent form, the return to fitness of striker Erling Haaland and the planned protests by some fans before the game.

Meanwhile, one man - well boy - everyone is talking about is the magnificent Lamine Yamal after his sensational Champions League performance against Inter Milan on Wednesday.

Does Guardiola see the comparisons with a 17-year-old Lionel Messi?

Image source, Getty Images

Kyle Walker says Samir Nasri is the player he hated facing most.

Nasri joined Manchester City from league rivals Arsenal in 2011, making 176 appearances during his six years at the club. He scored 27 and assisted a further 39 before leaving in 2017, the same summer Walker joined from Tottenham.

Speaking on The Kyle Walker podcast, Walker said: "I used to hate playing against City when I was at Tottenham. Nasri...

"If people were to say: 'OK, who is the hardest player that you've played against?', I know they would say [Kylian] Mbappe, [Sadio] Mane, Neymar, Vinicius Jr and these types of players. But, when I think about the most intelligent, who I didn't really like to be against, it would be Nasri.

"He used to stand in pockets where it's very unnatural for you to go into that position. It doesn't feel normal. He kind of played number 10, so he didn't even play on the wing. So, he used to come inside. I was then: 'Do I go in and follow him? Do I leave him?' But then, all of a sudden, Gael Clichy used to be on the overlap, running in behind you.

"I think that's the relationship that they built together with playing a number of years at Arsenal together. They took that to City. Whenever I came up against City, when Nasri and Clichy were playing, it was always going to be a tough game."

Listen to the full podcast

Manchester City and Liverpool are interested in signing 25-year-old Italy right-back Andrea Cambiaso, who appears set to leave Juventus this summer. (Calciomercato), external

Meanwhile, City do not intend to let Jack Grealish leave the club on loan in the summer. (Talksport), external

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

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Freddie Pye
Fan writer

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Empty Manchester City seats at Wembley? You're missing the point.

You've only got to spend a few moments scrolling on your favourite social media platform to come across someone bashing Manchester City's fanbase for not selling out their allocation at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.

At face value; Yes, it's Wembley Stadium. Yes, it's an FA Cup semi-final. Yes, it's perhaps one of the biggest dates in the football calendar for many fans and a unique opportunity to visit one of the most iconic sporting venues on the planet.

Then you take a step back and realise: Sunday's FA Cup semi-final meeting with Nottingham Forest was Manchester City's 30th - yes, THIRTY - appearance at Wembley Stadium since 2011.

To give that remarkable figure a bit of perspective, Liverpool managed a total of 30 appearances at the old Wembley in their entire history before the ground was demolished in 2002.

An understanding of Manchester City supporters following the club to and from Wembley over the last 14 years should also take into account the extortionate costs of the day as a whole; a ticket averaging £77 across the five pricing categories, food and drink, travel costs via public transport, perhaps even overnight accommodation.

And all this is before you even consider the wider costs of following the club home and away throughout the duration of a season well exceeding 50 games, ventures into Europe, additional costs of 'cup schemes' for the FA Cup and League Cup, and the rising prices for season tickets.

But what is really happening online as fans continue to poke fun at Manchester City's empty seats at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, is supporters are missing the real issue at hand: FA Cup Semi-Finals should not be held at Wembley Stadium.

Prior to 2008, all semi-finals in the FA Cup were contested at neutral venues large enough for the occasion. Common hosts including Birmingham's Villa Park and Manchester's Old Trafford.

Perhaps a return to that more logical strategy could bring the semi-finals of the greatest cup football competition on the planet to former glory days, and rejuvenate such an occasion for who it should mean most to: the fans.

Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Four Manchester City supporters' groups have written an open letter to manager Pep Guardiola asking for "one more favour" with regards to matchday ticket pricing and season ticket availability.

City host Wolves at Etihad Stadium on Friday and some City fans are planning further protests over what they say is the club's refusal to increase the number of season ticket-holders.

A group staged a second protest this month before their win over Aston Villa on Tuesday, with three main issues:

• The capacity at Etihad Stadium increasing by 9,000 in recent years but there are fewer season tickets than six years ago;

• That means fans have to pay up to £88 for an adult matchday ticket or up to £58 for a child;

• Tickets are then sold through third-party sites for inflated prices, they claim.

Fan organisation 1894 Group is planning a further protest for the home game with Wolves and organisers are urging supporters to remain in the concourse of the stadium until the sixth minute.

The 1894 Group lead the signatories in the open letter, which says:, external "The stadium is growing by 8,000 next season and the fans want the club to bring back some real season tickets so that the generational links can be protected.

"The amount of season ticket-holders in the stadium has been shrinking. When fans cannot attend games the club then cannot resell those tickets because they are priced too high.

"We think the club has time to rethink two issues, season ticket availability and matchday pricing.

"We want the same things as you. A powerful club, with a loud atmosphere in the stadium.

"Surely the most important thing is to ensure there are no empty seats inside the Etihad?"

Image source, Getty Images

Winning the FA Cup is "especially" important this season for Manchester City, says full-back Rico Lewis.

Despite a difficult season that has seen them lose their Premier League crown to new champions Liverpool, their semi-final win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday means they are in a third consecutive FA Cup final.

But when asked if winning the competition for a second time in three years was important for City, Lewis said: "Yes, definitely.

"Everyone in that changing room likes winning trophies. Nobody in there doesn't want to win an FA Cup or whatever competition we're in.

"No matter what the competition, we always want to win it. So yes, it's really important for us, especially this season.

"You never know what you're going to get in a final. It's a one-off game and we've just got to be concentrated on our game plan and everyone believe in each other."

Fourth-placed City continue to fight for a place in next season's Champions League and are one point clear of Chelsea and Forest, who also have a game in hand, in the race for the top five places.

Guardiola's side will play four matches - starting with a home fixture against Wolves on Friday - before they return to Wembley next month to face Crystal Palace. Lewis will be hope his semi-final goal earns him a spot in the Wembley final on 17 May.

"It is difficult [not playing]," Lewis added. "It has been a bit unlucky at certain stages of the season when you play in games and you don't have everyone in the team. Some people are injured and you cannot play as you normally would do.

"The whole team is discombobulating, but it is part of football, and I said this even when it was going well."

Image source, Getty Images

With a number of empty seats visible at Wembley on Sunday and Pep Guardiola talking about the struggles faced by fans to attend, we asked for your views on FA Cup semi-finals at the iconic venue.

Here are some of your comments:

Jonathan: The magic of the cup has been eroded by those who are supposed to be its custodians, the FA. The need to generate money, presumably to pay for building the new Wembley, has meant semi-finals have to be played there regardless. Reaching Wembley should be the pinnacle, while neutral venue semi-finals had a magic all of their own and made it easier for fans to travel. But corporate greed again trumps tradition. The FA are responsible for destroying their own competition

Lotfi: Wembley semi-finals are still special, however, ticket prices are getting silly. It's the crowds that create the atmosphere but being a football fan has become ridiculously more expensive.

Rod: It's difficult because I understand that a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Wembley for a semi-final is great. I don't think we should get arrogant just because we've been so many times. However, I think that Wembley should be left for the final. Yes, cost is a major factor. The price of tickets should be regulated. If Wembley is to be used, why not cap it at £30 max like Premier League away games?

Ben: For City fans, Wembley isn't special anymore. It is not for any of the big teams. Ticket prices too high, plus travel costs. Taking a family is £500 minimum for the day.

Andrew: Simply put - go back to playing semis at a neutral, geographically sensible ground. Wembley is built and pretty much paid for so FA cashflow is less important than maintaining the status and reputation of the competition. Sellout semis in regional grounds is so much better than quarter-empty Wembley, which looks terrible on TV and is even worse in person.

Ian: Knowing we will have to go twice for the semi and the final, the cost is the first thing that mounts up. The second is the watering down of that Wembley experience. It used to be the big day out as you got to Wembley but to know there will be two trips involved in one cup win smacks of corporate greed. We used to have semi-finals at neutral grounds closer to the teams involved - what was wrong with that?

Image source, Getty Images

With only 72,000 in attendance for the Wembley semi-final on Sunday, we are keen to hear from you.

Manager Pep Guardiola said after the game he completely understood "it's not easy" for supporters, having suggested before the match that one day the FA Cup semis could be played in the north of England.

So, what do you make of Wembley semi-finals? Are fans disillusioned? Is price a deciding factor?

Or is the FA Cup just not that important?

Let us know

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.

Here are some of your replies:

Forest fans

Bettsy: I'm so disappointed. Let's stop giving respect to City - they aren't that good. We seem to set up in fear of them. A dreadful performance in the first half. Danilo is awful. Poor Zach Abbott has zero idea how to play full-back but did nothing wrong apart from wanting to play centre-back. Nuno got it wrong but hopefully we now understand that to be at the top, we have to play our game and not worry about them.

Fosi: Nuno cost us the match! His team selection left us totally unbalanced. What on earth was he doing? He needs help selecting his team and system if this is his idea.

John: As ever, I can't fault our effort and commitment. We hit the post twice and the crossbar. Their chances went in. It wasn't meant to be. It has still been - and it still is - a fantastic season. Heads up and beat Brentford on Thursday.

Nicholas: I worry that after this poor and insipid performance, we will finish our season with a whimper rather than a roar. To have come so far and miss out on an FA Cup final, and possibly Europe, would be a harsh kick in the teeth for a team that have played well for much of the season. We simply weren't up for the occasion and bottled it.

City fans

Brian: City had the run of the green. Luck was on their side and Forest must feel that our goal was protected at all levels. But City will be full of belief now and they held on with a clean sheet. Given their really poor mid-season, this is a remarkable position to be in. They are in a great position to win the FA Cup and achieve Champions League qualification. We would have taken both at the start of this season.

John: It just shows what a toll playing too many games is having on the players. They now have energy and enjoyment they had lost in mid-season. But what a performance from Forest - good luck to them for Champions League places!

Gene: At first, I was surprised to see Rico Lewis in the line-up, and even more so when he scored. They had possession and looked comfortable, but defensively were sloppy on multiple occasions. Forest are a counter-attacking team and were unable to capitalise on City's mistakes and poor decisions. The match could have gone either way, so City were fortunate to leave with the win.

Krish: It was quite good back to our old ways. Lewis was brilliant and so was Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic. Hopefully, Erling Haaland and Rodri get a bit of playing time against Southampton.

Manchester City are expected to move for Italy and Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso, 25, with the Italian club turning their attention to Arsenal's Portuguese defender Nuno Tavares, 25, who is on loan at Lazio. (Sun, external)

Meanwhile, Chelsea are pushing hard to seal the signing of Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, 19, but face competition from Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United for the Turkey international. (Caught Offside, external)

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been talking to BBC Sport after his side sealed their spot in the FA Cup final: "They pushed a little bit more in the second half, we knew it would happen. We lost some balls and the fatigue was there.

"The ball, the way it bounces for both sides is difficult to control. But we managed it and I am really pleased to be in the FA Cup final again."

On Rico Lewis' early goal: "The action was really good. Rico moves into the pockets like very few players, he is very good in the small areas. He is an extraordinary player. He is so strong and so clever."

On whether it was Mateo Kovacic's best game of the season: "No, the last game against Aston Villa he was extraordinary. If you put players close to him, it helps him and his composure is really good."

On facing Crystal Palace in the final: "Just take a look at what they did yesterday. We played them a few weeks ago and they were 2-0 up.

"The pace they have up front is brilliant and they have an extraordinary manager. They have so much physicality and experience. Hopefully it will be better than last season in the final against Manchester United."

On how the season will be viewed if they win the FA Cup and finish in the Champions League spots: "Champions League is the most important thing. That would limit the damage because this season has not been good.

"I want to say thank you to our fans. I know how difficult it is to come here with work tomorrow, the tickets and the travel. I can't thank them enough - and hopefully they will join us and see us in the final."