Manchester City are already stacked in the midfield, but they are looking to beef up the position nonetheless. This could be more out of need, not just out of luxury with a long-term replacement for the 34-year-old Fernandinho now being identified. 

That target is Atletico Madrid man Saul Niguez, 24, with the Daily Mirror reporting that the Spaniard: “has a staggering £130m buy-out clause in Madrid but it is believed the two parties can strike a deal for a fee in the region of £80 million.”

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Manchester City heads to the Liberty Stadium tomorrow night for a FA Cup quarterfinal clash against Swansea City, marking the first time that the two sides have met in this competition. Overall, the Swans are winless in their previous 13 meetings with City, losing all but two.

Their prospects don’t look very good on the weekend either. Manager Pep Guardiola probably won’t be too focused on squad rotation in this one, as he’s been able to give some substitutes some work in lately, and he has an international break coming up with which to rest guys.

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It wasn’t until 2008, when an ownership change was made that Manchester City began to really establish themselves among the European clubs that can be regarded as elite. While they have a truly prodigious list of domestic accomplishments over that decade they are yet to win the UEFA Champions League, or even reach the final.

They have one semi-final appearance and three quarter-finals since ’08, but overall they are a club that’s pretty much green in the later stages of the competition.

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Up 3-2 on aggregate, and sitting pretty with a trio of away goals, Manchester City are in prime position to join their British brethren Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

However, look no further than last week for a reminder about how anything is possible in the UCL- just ask the world’s most expensive side Paris Saint-Germain and three time European holders Real Madrid. City will be without a few key players, due to both injury and suspension, so Pep Guardiola will take nothing for granted here.

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The next step for Manchester City on their golden path to potential quadruple glory is the second leg of their round of 16 UEFA Champions League tie with FC Schalke. The Bundesliga club comes to the blue side of Manchester down 2-3 on aggregate Tuesday night.

The German side faces very long odds at the City of Manchester Stadium, but the reigning Premier League champions will be without some key players in this one as star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring) and John Stones (groin) are injury doubts for this one, while midfielder Fernandinho and defender Nicolas Otamendi are suspended for this contest.

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Manchester City have overtaken Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table finally, and now the idea of winning a quadruple doesn’t seem so crazy. Well, it’s still a crazy long shot, but now not as long.

For Liverpool supporters, the anxiety and stress levels are just ramping up. Reds fans shouldn’t expect City to drop any points tomorrow, as the Citizens are strongly favored at home over Watford, despite a whole slew of injuries. Even with all the injuries though, Pep Guardiola still has plenty to choose from, so let’s make a guess at who he might select for this one.

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For the first time since well before Christmas, Liverpool finds their place at the top of the Premier League usurped by Manchester City. The Reds will now spend the last nine games of the season trying to chase down Man City, which will be an uphill climb, to say the least. 

City welcome Watford into Manchester this weekend, for a match that will see boss Pep Guardiola sans several first team players for line-up selection. Central defenders Aymeric Laporte and John Stones are both out due to muscle issues, but the duo have been training.

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