Transfer latest: Delph denies Man City deal, Schneiderlin to Utd still on
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It appears that Manchester City, an industry-best price of 12/5 with Coral to regain the Premier League title, will not be signing Aston Villa captain and England midfielder Fabian Delph after all, as he denied that an £8m transfer to the Etihad was in the works.
Delph, 25, was appointed successor to Ron Vlaar as captain of the West Midlands outfit in March with the Dutch defender’s contract expiring at Villa Park this summer.
“I’m aware there has been intense media speculation surrounding my future in the last 24 hours and I want to set the record straight,” Delph told Villa’s official website. “I’m not leaving. I’m staying at the football club and I can’t wait for the start of the season and captaining this great football club.”
This will be a big blow to Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini and the Etihad hierarchy, who have homegrown quotas to consider. Just goalkeeping duo Joe Hart and Richard Wright, plus French full back Gael Clichy, count towards that from the current squad.
With Delph snubbing clear interest from City and Champions League football, attentions may now turn to alternative English targets Ross Barkley and Jack Wilshere of Everton and Arsenal respectively.
Man City may not be an attractive prospect to either, however, as Gunners midfielder Wilshere has emphasised his commitment to Arsene Wenger’s side. Barkley, meanwhile, may be wary of an Etihad switch after seeing former Toffees teammate Jack Rodwell’s career stall there and subsequently move on to Sunderland.
Across Manchester, Louis van Gaal is in for both World Cup winning midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger of Bayern Munich and Southampton’s France international anchorman Morgan Schneiderlin.
While German great Schweinsteiger, 30, should be a Manchester United player before too long, the Red Devils are yet to meet Saints’ valuation of 25-year-old Schneiderlin.
A £20m bid was rebuffed by the south coast club, so 6/1 title chances United may have to up their offer to £25m to get their man. Van Gaal is looking to assemble a new-look midfield to go alongside imminent arrival Matteo Darmian at full back, and his only confirmed summer signing in Dutch attacker Memphis Depay.
