Man City beat Arsenal to a’record’ transfer for one significant reason as their fifth acquisition is confirmed

Arsenal’s director of football, Andrea Berta, arrives for a Premier League match.

Arsenal’s director of football, Andrea Berta, arrives for a Premier League match.

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Sverre Nypan, with the 18-year-old giving a significant reason for choosing them over Arsenal.

This summer, the brilliant youth has signed for Manchester City alongside Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Marcus Bettinelli.

Man City have fended off interest from rival Premier League teams to sign Nypan, despite Arsenal being ‘confident’ of getting him after missing out in January.

Nypann has joined Manchester City for about £12.5 million, and Sky Sports has reported that this is a’record’ transfer for Rosenborg, with the midfielder signing a five-year term until 2030.

Sky Sports commented on Man City’s ambitions for Nypan:

City see him as a future star, and he is slated to move on loan elsewhere this summer.

‘If a loan is not secured before City return to pre-season, Nypan will train with the first-team under Pep Guardiola until one is arranged.’

Nypan has admitted that Pep Guardiola played a significant factor in his choice to reject competitors for Manchester City.

“I am incredibly happy and proud to have joined Manchester City,” Nypan stated in an interview with the club’s website.

“It is a dream for any young footballer to join this Club and such a bunch of world-class quality.

“I am still very young and have a lot to learn, but the opportunity to be coached by Pep Guardiola, the best manager in the world, will only help me become a better player.”

“There is already a special connection between Norway and Manchester City through Erling Haaland and Oscar Bobb, and I am very proud to have become the latest Norwegian player to have joined the club.”

Hugo Viana, City Director of Football, added: “Sverre is an exciting young talent who the Club has been keeping an eye on for a while.

“We believe he already has many remarkable talents, but at only 18 years old, he will only develop.

“We believe he will be an important asset for Manchester City in the years to come and we will support him every step of the way in his development.”

Arsenal will compete for Crystal Palace player Eberechi Eze after Paul Merson outlined why they should have chosen him over Noni Madueke.

“If you asked me whether Arsenal should sign Eberechi Eze or Madueke, I’d have said Eze all day long,” Merson joked.

“That’s a deal I can see occurring, and it’d be a fantastic acquisition for Arsenal. He’s perfect.

“Arsenal struggles when teams come to the Emirates and throw everyone behind the ball. Teams aim to limit Arsenal’s playing space, and they’ve failed to break down opponents using those tactics.

“For me, that is where Eze comes in. He has the X-factor and can break down a low block.”

Chelsea hope to repeat Cole Palmer’s trick after ‘enquiry’ for Manchester City talent

Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing another bright young Manchester City player.

Chelsea are reportedly interested in recruiting another Manchester City player to build on their success with Cole Palmer. Some questioned the Blues’ decision to pay £40 million for the inexperienced Palmer, but he went on to become one of the best players in the Premier League.

If the Blues sold Palmer today – which they almost definitely will not – they would likely triple or more their investment in him, bolstering their philosophy of signing young players with room to grow and improve in terms of both talent and value.

After finding success with Palmer, Chelsea is reportedly looking to sign another Manchester City hotshot, Nico O’Reilly, who has nine league appearances for City and is now 20 years old. According to Simon Phillips of The Chelsea Chronicle, the Blues have inquired about O’Reilly, hoping to persuade City to move another promising young player.

O’Reilly played a key role in City’s cup run, leading them to the final but losing to Crystal Palace. During the cup run, Pep Guardiola stated, “He scored two goals against Plymouth and now has the first assist, so he will play in the semi-final.”

Regarding O’Reilly’s style and recent switch from midfield to full-back, he stated: “When you play as a full-back and the game is quick, the transitions are swift, you cannot come. However, if you move from left to right, right to left, and so on, you will have more time to arrive. He is an attacking midfielder and is constantly present. As an attacking midfielder, he will appear (in the box). I’m very sure if he plays offensive midfield, he’ll be on the penalty spot with every cross.

During the season, O’Reilly explained to the City website that he was placed to left-back due to a lack of center-backs in training. Everyone was injured, and we only needed players from training to go there. things must have been two days later, in the Salford game, that I switched to left-back, and things simply flowed from that. I believed what the manager thought.”

The kid added: “If I make a mistake in training positionally, Pep will pause it, go over it with me, and tell me what I need to do. That has been extremely helpful to me. Speaking of Josko, who has been playing there all season, he has been a huge assistance to me because he has been next to me every game and is constantly chatting to me. I believe the personnel, Josko, and Ruben, have helped. Ruben is a strong leader on the team and captains the back line, so I am constantly listening to his advice.

“I had to adjust to the defending side as well because I was unfamiliar with playing in the back line. As time has passed, I have learned a great deal and still have much to learn. I’ve appreciated it, and it’s good to have some adaptability. Obviously, given my size and physical ability to move up and down the wing, it suits me. I believe the way we have been playing tactically has helped me get in those positions.”

Manchester City has a fresh deadline for player sales following Kyle Walker’s transfer

Kyle Walker completed his surprise move to Burnley last weekend, kicking off the exodus at the Etihad. He was the first significant sale of the summer, and many more will follow in the coming weeks.

After signing a replacement for Scott Carson and three outfield first-teamers this summer, Pep Guardiola’s squad is now being trimmed following City’s withdrawal from the Club World Cup.

Guardiola brought 24 outfield players to the US for the event due to early additions of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Cherki. However, as the season progresses, he plans to reduce the number of players.

That list did not include the injured Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee, who was away with England Under-21s, or Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish, who are both available for transfer. Hugo Viana has a lot of work to do this summer to build the squad Guardiola wants, in terms of quantity rather than quality.

Selling Walker to Burnley is a start, but as things stand, the four players stated above, along with the group who went to the Club World Cup, total 28 first-team players still on the books at the Etihad. That is far too large a roster for any manager, let alone one who is so adamant about working with fewer players, as Guardiola has always been.

The Catalan has always preferred a small group and despises having to tell players they aren’t on a matchday roster. A larger group of disincentivised players might potentially cause morale concerns.

“I told the club I didn’t want that [a bigger team]. I do not want to keep five or six players in the freezer. I do not want that. I am going to quit. “Make a smaller squad, and I’ll stay,” Guardiola remarked in May.

“It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play.”

Guardiola isn’t going to give up anytime soon, and City still has plenty of time to reduce its squad size. The transfer window will not close until the evening of September 1.

However, Viana will be keeping an eye on another deadline: July 28, when City returns for a three-week block of pre-season training before the new Premier League season begins, which now includes a friendly against Palermo in Italy.

As it stands, all 28 first-team players will be returning around that time, though injuries to Phillips and Kovacic may limit their ability to begin training right away. Guardiola would be desperate to avoid working with such a large group while he is already short on time to prepare for the new season.

He will undoubtedly hope that solutions have been found for Phillips and Grealish by then, rather than having to bring them in from the cold after it has been shown that their futures lie outside of the Etihad. Phillips’ situation is exacerbated by his injury, and his loan move to West Ham was hardly a shop window, while Grealish will be a high-profile departure after a £100 million signing failed to live up to expectations.

Other members of the 24-man squad in the United States are expected to leave. Guardiola will want to cut those numbers, and while some, like as Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri, could be loaned out, one or two may have to be sold.

City has worked hard to refresh its roster for 2025, but since the beginning of the year, they have signed eight first-team players and lost only three. That explains why the team has grown to an extent that Guardiola will not be pleased with. He will want it decreased, ideally by the end of the month.