Manchester City targeting defender Benjamin Mendy of Monaco - sources

Manchester City are eyeing a move for Monaco defender Benjamin Mendy, sources close to the Ligue 1 club have told ESPN FC.
City boss Pep Guardiola has made a new left-back one of his top priorities this summer as he looks to reshape his squad and improve his defence at the Etihad Stadium.
Left-back has been a problematic position for City this season and first-choice left-back Gael Clichy is out of contract in the summer and unlikely to be offered a new deal.
Aleksandar Kolarov has been switched from a left-back to central defence this term and that has left City short of options at full-back.
City have been looking at a number of possible left-backs, and sources close to Monaco said City scouts have been making regular checks on Mendy.
Mendy only joined Monaco from Ligue 1 rivals Marseille last summer, signing a five-year deal with the principality outfit.

Big-money signing Krychowiak asks to play with PSG reserves

The Poland international midfielder will play with the second string in the French capital this weekend as he continues to struggle to find his feet

Grzegorz Krychowiak will not be part of Paris Saint-Germain's matchday squad for this weekend's Ligue 1 clash with Toulouse as he will play with the reserves instead at his own request.
The Poland midfielder joined PSG from Sevilla during the close-season, but has been struggling to live up to the high expectations at the Parc des Princes.
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He has made just 16 appearances in all competitions for the French champions and has not featured in Ligue 1 since December 2016.
"I speak with all my players, so also with Krychowiak," Unai Emery said at a news conference.
"He has a lot of competition in his position at the moment. Adrien Rabiot plays in his position now that Thiago Motta is not there. It is a very difficult position.
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"Krychowiak will not be part of the squad for Sunday's game, but he will be with the reserves. It is a matter of competition. He has asked to play with the reserves.
"He can still play with the first team in the upcoming weeks. He has to make sure he is ready and that is why he will play with the reserves now to gain match rhythm."
PSG will be without Thiago Silva and Angel Di Maria for Sunday's game due to injury, with the Argentine picking up a muscular problem in his side's 4-0 Champions League win over Barcelona on Tuesday.

Unai Emery silenced his critics in PSG's comprehensive thrashing of Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery is currently basking in the afterglow created by the Ligue 1 giants' phenomenal 4-0 mauling of Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 encounter on Tuesday. The Spaniard and his players not only registered their most important result of the season, by some way, they also recorded one of the most significant results in the capital club's relatively short but equally storied -- particularly in a continental sense -- history.
Tuesday was massive for PSG, the squad and the supporters, but it was perhaps even bigger than that for Emery himself. The 45-year-old had his credibility questioned and his poor record against Barca shoved in his face ahead of the Parc des Princes showdown.
Emery and the French champions issued the perfect riposte: a tactically flawless display that shut up all of his critics bar those with an axe to grind or a limited knowledge of football. Since then, almost all of the Basque's previous detractors have viewed him with a newfound respect.
Until this week, Emery had received a lot of criticism from the French press. Some of it, such as his unwillingness to make early substitutions or change formation mid-match, was understandable. However, much of it was not, and it went too far, bordering on verbal bullying at times.
The Barcelona contest was billed as the match the former Sevilla boss absolutely had to lead PSG to victory in, the one in which he had the chance to prove to all of his naysayers that owners Qatar Sports Investments were right to bring him in to replace Laurent Blanc last summer. He did just that and
Emery delivered not only a win, and a convincing one at that, but he set up the team and inspired them to produce one of the all-time great performances in the club's history -- and PSG already had a number of memorable European nights in the books.

Barcelona's Luis Enrique: PSG loss won't affect decision on my future

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said the 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday will have no impact on whether he decides to remain at the club beyond the summer.
Barca will look to pick themselves up on Sunday against La Liga strugglers Leganes following the demolition at the Parc des Princes, which left them on the brink of an exit from the Champions League at the round of 16 for the first time in a decade.
Their response to the resounding beating by Unai Emery's side will determine whether or not they can catch league leaders Real Madrid, although Luis Enrique said it would not alter his decision about whether to extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season, while adding he does not know if he will stay or go.
"What happens in these months will have nothing to do with my decision, not one game, not two or the 38 games in the league. I still haven't taken it," he told a news conference ahead of the game with Leganes.
Luis Enrique said he was unaffected by the criticism that has come his way after the heavy defeat to PSG.
"I have nothing to say about it, I feel for anyone who thinks I'd be affected by it. Criticism has zero effect on me, if it was any other way I couldn't be in this job for almost three years," he said.
"We are our own fiercest critics, the ones who most want to improve. The rest is just a circus, but fortunately there's a considerable distance between us and you [the media].
"I never listen to the media and I'm not going to start this week. I don't go within 10 metres of a television or a radio -- not even when I'm drunk."

PSG express 'shock' over reported doubts about Thiago Silva's injury

Paris Saint-Germain have expressed their "shock" at doubts in the French media over how genuine captain Thiago Silva's latest injury really is.
The French giants thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in their Champions League round-of-16 first-leg clash on Tuesday without the Brazil international, who was ruled out of the match with a left calf problem.
Following the famous victory over the Spaniards, L'Equipe cast doubt on the severity of Silva's latest injury -- suffered during the 2-1 home win over Lille -- and quoted an unnamed source as saying the skipper was "frozen with fear" ahead of the Barca encounter.
PSG have responded to L'Equipe's claims through a statement exclusive to Globoesporte and explained that his current injury is genuine.
"Thiago Silva was injured after the Ligue 1 clash with Lille," the statement from the French champions read. "The diagnosis was heavy bruising on his left calf -- he did not play against Bordeaux the week before the Champions League match at home to Barcelona.
"Thiago Silva is our captain, the man of great games, who is always there through the difficult times and is appreciated by the staff and his teammates. Everyone at the club is shocked by the doubts some have expressed about his motivation.

Monaco make offer to buy majority stake in Cercle Brugge

      Monaco have announced they have made an offer to buy a majority stake in Belgian First Division B club Cercle Brugge.
The move forms part of Monaco's development strategy in bringing young talent to the Ligue 1 club.
A statement on Monaco's official website said: "AS Monaco FC confirms that it has made an offer (subject to certain conditions) to purchase a majority stake in the club Cercle Brugge KSV, who play in Belgium's Ligue 1B.
"A general meeting of Cercle Brugge's shareholders will examine the proposal in order to take a decision by the end of February.