Lyon director issues Houssem Aouar transfer update amid new Man City links

straight to your inbox England and Manchester City captain Steph Houghton has joined fellow Lionesses Anita Asante and Danielle Carter to call on players to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement when the Women’s Super League season kicks off next weekend. Houghton revealed that teams have been taking a knee in their pre-season friendlies, and added that she expected it to continue in Saturday’s Women’s Community Shield match against Chelsea at Wembley.

straight to your inbox Barcelona have not given up on keeping Lionel Messi despite the player’s dramatic transfer request on Tuesday. The club’s new football director Ramon Planes – who replaced Eric Abidal last week – said that they are working long hours to try to head off the crisis and persuade Messi to stay, with Manchester City seen as favourites to land him.

straight to your inbox Manchester City youngster Liam Delap smashed in a hat-trick against Everton Under-18s as the academy teams prepare for the start of the new season. Youth football was curtailed in March as a result of the pandemic but the club's youngsters are back at the City Football Academy getting ready to begin a new campaign as well as having their efforts recognised for last year by the academy coaches.

straight to your inboxSeason tickets suspended at City for next season Amid the continuing uncertainty over when supporters will be allowed to return to stadiums, Manchester City have suspended season tickets for the 2020/21 season. Anyone who had a ticket in the 2019/20 campaign, will not be asked for any money up front towards next season, and will be contacted about a renewal when the decision is made to bring the tickets back in.

Champions League win over Manchester City.The Blues midfielder had an average night in Lisbon, although he scored the equalising goal and had a much-improved second half.And he received a consolation today, by being named the Premier League Player of the Year for a season where he equalled Thierry Henry’s assists record.De Bruyne was hugely disappointed at City’s 3-1 defeat, but he named the Lyon star who he felt had done more than anyone to unhinge the Blues – his midfield opponent Houssem

straight to your inboxAfter producing a fantastic performance against Real Madrid in their last Champions League game, Manchester City's European campaign continues on Saturday night, as they take on Lyon in Lisbon in the quarter-final of the competition.City are very likely to be without Sergio Aguero for this game, with Gabriel Jesus once again set to start in his place.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola must decide whether to reinstate Benjamin Mendy for Manchester City's Champions League quarter final with Lyon tonight.Mendy was suspended for the last-16 second leg win over Real Madrid last week, with Joao Cancelo deputising at left-back having played there for the final two games of the Premier League season.

straight to your inboxManchester City must add fight to their pre-match preparations if they want to progress in the Champions League quarter final against Lyon on Saturday.That is according to defender Aymeric Laporte, who insists City are prepared after a week of training in Portugal, but that will count for nothing if they are not up for a battle against their French opposition in Lisbon."The team is prepared," Laporte told reporters in the pre-match press conference, where he appeared

straight to your inbox Lyon manager Rudi Garcia joked that star midfielder Houssem Aouar will only be up for sale if they win the Champions League, as the player himself distanced himself from links with Manchester City.Aouar, 21, is no stranger to City, after impressing against the Blues in last season's group stage. Lyon took four points from City, prompting Pep Guardiola to say: "Houssem Aouar is a very good player.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has three main selection dilemmas for Manchester City's third Champions League quarter final in as many years.Unlike in 2018 and 2019, City's game against Lyon on Saturday is a single game affair, and not against a Premier League rival like the last two exits to Liverpool and Tottenham.Lyon may be considered underdogs by some after they finished seventh in Ligue 1 this season, but they beat Juventus over two legs to reach this stage and took four points from

straight to your inbox Sergio Aguero is running out of time to play any part in Manchester City 's Champions League challenge. The Blues are preparing to face Lyon in the quarter-final of the competition at the Jose Alvalade Stadium tomorrow night, and if they win they will be in the semi-final next week.

straight to your inboxIlkay Gundogan has warned his Manchester City teammates that they are only one mistake away from exiting the Champions League.City face Lyon in Saturday's quarter-final in Lisbon, in the new one-game format for this season's adapted Champions League finale.The Blues booked their place in the last eight by overcoming Real Madrid by 2-1 for the second time, capitalising on two mistakes from Raphael Varane in the visitors' defence.And Gundogan has warned City that the one-game

straight to your inboxManchester City will be hoping to claim their place in the Champions League semi-finals when they take on Lyon on Saturday night.City booked their spot in Lisbon for the conclusion of Europe's top competition after once again defeating Real Madrid 2-1 in the last 16 in the long awaited second leg at the Etihad, advancing with a 4-2 aggregate victory.The Blues arrived in the Portuguese capital earlier this week and have been training in preparation for French giants Lyon,

straight to your inboxHere are your Manchester City morning headlines for Thursday, 13 August.City lessons from Lyon defeatManchester City take on Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Champions League but they did fall to a home defeat by the Ligue 1 side in last season’s group stage.A report in the MEN outlines how City can learn their lessons from that match in order to avoid a slip-up this weekend.Pep Guardiola’s side are overwhelming favourites to book their place in the last four but they will

straight to your inboxLyon striker Karl Toko Ekambi feels that Manchester City might overlook them in Saturday night’s Champions League quarter-final clash.With a huge clash with Barcelona or Bayern Munich awaiting the victors, the Blues’ meeting with the French side is not the most eagerly-awaited of the ties in the last-eight tournament being staged in Lisbon.And Cameroon international Ekambi thinks that City might just neglect to pay attention to the “Tom Thumb” side who finished seventh in