..::Football III::..

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Official: Delph completes Manchester City move

Manchester City have completed the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph less than a week after he vowed to stay at Villa Park this summer.

The Villa captain made a second U-turn on his future earlier on Friday after receiving reassurance that his England place would not be jeopardised by a squad role at the Etihad Stadium.

Delph has put pen to paper on a five-year contract with City after undergoing a medical on Friday, which is understood to earn him £100,000 per week.

"Fabian Delph is an excellent player and I am looking forward to working with him," his new manager, Manuel Pellegrini, told City's official website.

"He has made a huge impact in recent seasons at Aston Villa and is now one of the brightest young midfielders in the Premier League.
"Fabian has tremendous skill and energy and the fact that he has become a regular member of the England squad is further evidence of his progress over the past few seasons. At just 25 years old, he still has his best years ahead of him."

 

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Delph to Manchester City thanikarama U-Turn 1kakKiyala thibbe Aston Villama innawa kiyalane tika dawasakata kalin.​

 

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Delph blames 'emotion' for Manchester City transfer U-turn

Fabian Delph claims he was ruled by his heart rather than his head when originally spurning a move to Manchester City to stay at Aston Villa.

The 25-year-old completed a protracted £8m move to the Etihad Stadium on Friday, having initially turned down City's offer of a four-year contract worth £100,000-a-week and re-asserting his commitment to Villa.

His spectacular double U-turn has caused controversy but Delph insists he could not allow "emotion and feelings" to override "the football opportunity" of joining City and competing for major trophies.

"Leaving Aston Villa Football Club is the hardest decision I've ever had to make," he said in a statement.

"I've had some amazing times and made some great friends during my time at the club and I'll always be thankful to them for giving me the opportunity to play in the Premier League.

"As has been widely reported I initially turned down the opportunity to join Manchester City. That decision was purely down to the love I have for Aston Villa and its great supporters.

"When I was made captain of Villa it was a huge honour for me and I took the responsibility incredibly seriously. I signed my new contract last season with the view of staying at the club for the duration of the deal and never with the intention to leave a year later.

"My decision to stay initially was purely based on the emotion and feelings that I hold for the club and the people there that I would be walking away from - rather than looking at the football opportunity that had been placed in front of me.

"I've experienced some incredible low times in my career with injuries and at one point even questioned whether I would even return to Premier League level. Despite that, I've always been 100 per cent committed to improving my game and developing as a player and a person.

"As a kid watching the game on TV and then as a young footballer you dream about testing yourself against the best in the world, to compete for major trophies and to play in the Champions League. I've proved that I can play at the very top level with England and believe I owe it to myself to take the challenge of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world in Manchester City.

"I have been immensely proud to captain such a great club and want to thank everyone at Aston Villa - most importantly the fans - for the amazing support they have shown me during my time there.

"I am now excited for the future with Manchester City and helping the club to succeed in the coming season and beyond."

 

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Bochum 2-1 Borussia Dortmund: Tuchel's men downed by second tier side

Borussia Dortmund's defence regressed to their nadir of last season, going down 2-1 in a pre-season friendly to Bochum.Thomas Tuchel had enjoyed three big wins from his first few games in charge of the Ruhr giants, but this defeat may give him food for thought.

Marco Terrazzino pounced after Henrikh Mkhitaryan had given the ball away in midfield to put Bochum ahead close to the half-hour, with Dortmund having dominated the opening stages.An attacking diamond midfield was putting the top-flight side's defence under pressure at times.

And they buckled midway through the second half as Mats Hummels and Matthias Ginter made a total mess of attempting to clear in the box, both heading the ball back into danger before Tim Hoogland made them pay with a fierce effort.Young Dortmund attacker Jeremy Dudziak showed composure that some of his senior colleagues lacked to score a consolation goal late on with a neat finish.

But it was not enough and Tuchel will hope to regain momentum against Luzern on Tuesday before a glamour tie with Juventus next weekend.

 

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Messi and Neymar left out of Barcelona squad for US tour

Barcelona have left the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Javier Mascherano out of the squad for their upcoming United States pre-season tour.

The Catalan side will play in the International Champions Cup, in which they will take on LA Galaxy, Manchester United and Chelsea as they travel through the USA.

Luis Enrique named 24 players in the squad that will travel across the Atlantic on Saturday, with Messi, Neymar, Javier Mascherano, Claudio Bravo and Dani Alves all missing, having been given extended holidays following their Copa America exploits.

The coach has included new signings Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal, who will not be able to play in a competitive game for the club until January because of their transfer ban.

The full squad:

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Jordi Masip, Jose Suarez, Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Pedro, Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez, Rafinha, Marc Bartra, Douglas, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto, Adriano, Thomas Vermaelen, Jeremy Mathieu, Arda Turan, Aleix Vidal, Sandro, Munir, Alen Halilovic, Sergi Samper and Gerard Gumbau.

 

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Xavi 'angry and sad' at Casillas treatment

Barcelona legend Xavi says Real Madrid's treatment of Iker Casillas over his departure has left "a bad taste" in his mouth.

The goalkeeper, who won five league titles and the Champions League three times during a 25-year period at the Santiago Bernabeu that started when he was nine-years-old, sat alone in Madrid's media room as he announced his departure from the club on Sunday in an emotional press conference.The club were criticised for the way the announcement was handled, which lead to them putting together a last-minute tribute for the club icon.

Xavi, who praised his long-term friend in an article in La Vanguardia this week, says that the handling of the situation made him "sad and angry", insisting he deserved more respect from the club.

"It leaves a bad taste in my mouth," the former Barca player, who now plays for Al-Sadd, told RAC1. "I wrote a letter stating my opinion. He didn’t deserve such a tepid send-off; he deserved more.

"They held a tribute for him but he looked sad. It makes me feel sad and angry that his farewell was like that. Maybe last year the same would’ve happened to me."I left in the best way possible but Madrid didn’t lift any trophies. Nevertheless, he deserved more."

Barcelona's presidential election is being held on Saturday and Xavi has admitted that he plans to vote for one of the candidates, with Joan Laporta and Josep Maria Bartomeu seen as the favourites.

“I’ll go to vote; I like to participate in everything. It’s a big day for the institution and the club, and the more participants, the better," he said. "I’ll go with my mother. We both know who we’re going to vote for; I’ve known for a long time, but I won’t reveal my vote because I think that has to be confidential, and more so in my position.

"I don’t know what will happen because all four have had a great campaign. The debate was very respectful and it was a good image for Barca.
"Some candidates don’t want to be linked to Qatar and I respect that.”

 

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Club America 0-1 Manchester United: Schneiderlin scores as Van Gaal's new-look side makes winning start

Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian and Bastian Schweinsteiger all made their Manchester United debuts in a 1-0 victory over Club America in the International Champions Cup.

Schneiderlin opened the scored the only goal of the game after just five minutes of the first half with a looping header from a Juan Mata cross.

The Frenchman, Depay and Darmian were all subbed by Louis van Gaal at the interval, with Schweinsteiger coming on to make his first appearance for the club.

Schweinsteiger impressed as United controlled the second half but failed to add to their lead.

United benefitted from pressing high up the pitch, and America's forwards were struggling to deal with the tactic, caught offside on no less than six occasions in the first half alone.

United should have added to their lead multiple times throughout, but were lucky not to lose it in the 72nd minute when Alejandro Diaz was denied by the left post from close range.

It mattered little, though, as United escaped with a clean-sheet win.

Mata had a chance to make it 2-0 himself in the 14th minute, but his shot was straight at Gonzalez.

Daley Blind was fortunate not to concede a penalty for his seemingly late challenge on Miguel Samudio, while captain Rubens Sambueza brought down Depay seconds later and earned a yellow card.

Wayne Rooney had his first meaningful sight on goal six minutes from the interval, linking well with Depay but powered a left-foot effort wide of the target.

United continued to be wasteful in the second period after Van Gaal completely changed his XI, with Andreas Pereira, Adnan Januzaj and Ander Herrera all missing the target when they should have tested Gonzalez.

And those missed chances nearly came back to hurt United, when Diaz struck the post after getting on the end of a cross in from the left with Anders Lindegaard beaten.

But United held on to their lead having looked comfortable for much of the second half.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!​

Schneiderlin ge debut goal 1ka​

 

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Guardiola: Casillas the greatest goalkeeper in Madrid's history

Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has hailed Iker Casillas as arguably the greatest goalkeeper in the history of Real Madrid.

Casillas announced on Sunday that he was leaving Los Blancos for Porto, ending a 25-year association with the Spanish side that featured five Liga title triumphs and three Champions League successes.

The manner of his departure upset many Madrid fans, with the 34-year-old having been left all alone to announce his exit at a press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu, without a single club official present.Blancos president Florentino Perez did arrange a press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu the following day to pay tribute to the World Cup winner and former Barcelona boss Guardiola says that it was only right that Casillas' enormous contribution was recognised.

"I, of course, have great respect for Iker," the ex-Spain international told reporters.
"He was, if not the greatest, one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of Madrid."Meanwhile, Guardiola's former club, Barcelona, are currently awaiting the outcome of Saturday's presidential elections.

The 44-year-old has previously voiced his support for former Blaugrana supremo Joan Laporta but he insists that he only wants to see "the best man win".As for Bayern, the German champions are on the verge of sealing a €40 million deal for Juventus ace Arturo Vidal.

However, even though the transfer is expected to go through this weekend, Guardiola would only say, "We haven't signed him yet."

 

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Stones wants Chelsea move as Mourinho prepares improved £28m bid

John Stones wants to leave Everton to join Chelsea as Jose Mourinho's side prepare an improved £28 million (€40m) bid, Goal understands.

The west Londoners were knocked back after making an initial £20m (€28m) approach for the England defender, with the Toffees determined to keep hold of one of their key players.

However, Goal understands that Mourinho is determined to get his man and that he Premier League champions will return to the negotiating table as they look to bolster their defensive options for the new campaign.

Stones, who can also operate at right-back, is seen as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League and would complement a back line that includes the likes of John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic and Kurt Zouma.

Chelsea captain Terry, 34, is entering what could be his final year at Stamford Bridge, while Ivanovic and Cahill are also approaching the latter stages of their careers.

Stones, who turned 21 in May, has already picked up four England caps and was part of Roy Hodgson's standby list for last summer's World Cup.
The versatile defender, who has made over 50 appearances for Everton, wants to join the Premier League champions and Everton are already stepping up their search for a potential replacement.

Manchester United centre-back Jonny Evans is set to move to Goodison Park, subject to the Toffees agreeing a fee with Louis van Gaal's side, while the Merseysiders also retain an interest in Nemanja Vidic.

Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson is another potential target for the Blues, while Goal understands that Arsenal have flatly declined an enquiry over the availability of Calum Chambers.

 

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Kroos: Real Madrid can win titles with Benitez

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos says that his side can win trophies with new coach Rafael Benitez.

Los Blancos won the Club World Cup last December but were then beaten to top spot in La Liga by great rivals Barcelona after being knocked out of both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

Ancelotti paid for Madrid's perceived failure with his job and replaced at the helm by former Napoli boss Benitez.

Some supporters remain sceptical about their club's decision to replace the man who led Los Blancos to a 10th Champions League title with Benitez but Kroos believes the future looks bright at the Santiago Bernabeu."I think we have a good chance to win titles with him," the Germany international stated. "I hope to have a good year.

"He talks a lot with everybody and wants to create a good team."But is difficult to win trophies, particularly the Champions League, as there are always four or five candidates to win."

Kroos joined Madrid from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014, penning a six-year contract with the Primera Division outfit.

 

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Monreal: I am very happy at Arsenal

Nacho Monreal insists that he is happy at Arsenal and is ready to fight for his place in the team despite renewed speculation surrounding his future.

The 29-year-old capitalised on Kieran Gibbs's ongoing fitness issues and loss of form to establish himself as the Gunners' first-choice left-back last season. Monreal made 39 appearances in all competitions and was selected ahead of Gibbs for the FA Cup final win against Aston Villa.

The Basque-born Spain international has consistently been linked with a return to his homeland, with Athletic his keenest admirers, but says that his focus remains on keeping his place in Arsene Wenger's starting XI.

"I'm very happy at Arsenal," Monreal, who is part of the squad currently touring Singapore, told Goal. "Of course I enjoyed playing in a lot of the games last season and that is the target again - that is all I can say right now.

"When you play for Arsenal, you know they are one of the biggest clubs in England but, here in Singapore, you see they are also one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"The reception we get from the fans everywhere we go is amazing to see for the players and we are very happy to be here with them."

Arsenal have been quiet in the transfer market so far this summer but their one major addition, former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, has given the squad a big lift and Monreal has been impressed by the way in which the Czech Republic international has settled in.

"He has so much experience of playing at the top level for so many years. He will bring confidence to the team," the defender enthused.

"We have not played a game together yet but, in training, he is absolutely amazing. You know from playing against him how good he is but, to see him in training now every day, you really see how good he is.

"He has integrated into the group very well. You can see he is a great guy and also very intelligent as well."

Cech's first competitive game for Arsenal is likely to come against his former club in the Community Shield at Wembley in August.

Wenger's side will be defending the trophy that they won last year with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Manchester City and Monreal believes that beating Chelsea, a side Arsenal against whom have struggled in recent years, would give them a huge psychological boost.

He said: "It is a chance to win another trophy at Wembley, which is great for the players and the fans. Of course we did it against Manchester City last year and it gave us a really good feeling ahead of the new season.

"We want to do the same now against Chelsea in a really big game. Of course we have found it difficult against them - they are the great team with a very good manager - but it will also be a difficult game for them."

 

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Manchester City 1-0 Melbourne City: Nasri volley clinches narrow win

Raheem Sterling watched on from the stands as Manchester City claimed a 1-0 friendly victory over sister club Melbourne City courtesy of a brilliant late volley from Samir Nasri.

Sterling completed his protracted £49 million transfer to the Etihad Stadium from Liverpool on Tuesday and was an interested onlooker as his new team-mates put on a superb display in an entertaining game at the Cbus Super Stadium in Robina.

Manuel Pellegrini's men were clearly a class above their A-League opponents, who had an excellent goalkeeping performance from Tando Velaphi to thank for keeping them in the match until the closing stages.

But there was nothing that Velaphi could do about the winning goal four minutes from time, as Nasri expertly controlled a cross from the right before lashing an unstoppable volley into the top corner from 15 yards.

The first half was played at a tempo not usually associated with pre-season fixtures but it did not take long for the Premier League side to assert themselves and take control.

The outstanding Yaya Toure went closest to breaking the deadlock for the tourists 20 minutes in with a trademark, curling free kick that crashed off the crossbar.

Melbourne were struggling to cope as Toure & Co. moved through the gears and Jesus Navas forced Velaphi into a fine save down to his right on the half-hour mark.

But for all of Manchester City's dominance, Melbourne should have been ahead soon after when Stefan Mauk missed the best opportunity of the match. An incisive breakaway from John van't Schip's side ended with a low cross-shot by Robert Koren, which Mauk somehow contrived to put over the bar from little more than three yards with Willy Caballero stranded.

Toure continued running the show after the break but more heroics from Velaphi - who denied Bruno Zuculini and Nasri in quick succession - kept the scores level.

It was always going to take something special to beat Velaphi and Nasri provided just that in the 86th minute. The Melbourne keeper got a hand to the Frenchman's stinging, rising volley but his effort simply had too much power and gave the tourists the win their performance merited.

 

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Bartomeu: I'm not the favourite in Barcelona presidential election

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has played down reports that he is the favourite to prevail in Saturday's club elections.The 52-year-old came to power in January 2014, replacing Sandro Rossell at the helm, and oversaw the Blaugrana's historic treble triumph last season.

However, he is now being challenged by former president Joan Laporta, previous challenger Agusti Benedito and ex-Barca spokesman Toni Freixa.Laporta has been open in his criticism of Bartomeu and lambasted the current administration over its failed attempt to sign Juventus ace Paul Pogba.

Consequently, while Laporta says that he is open to embracing the ideas of his running mates, he has now suggested that he has no interest in Laporta's initiatives.
"I am not the favourite to win," he told reporters on Saturday. "All of the candidates have had the opportunity to present their programmes, ideas and, if I win, I will incorporate the ideas of Benedito and Freixa.

"But it's amazing how many people who have come out to vote today. The response has been amazing the response."It is proving a celebration of Barcelona and its democracy."

 

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Schneiderlin pleased with goalscoring Manchester United debut

Match-winner Morgan Schneiderlin was happy to cap his Manchester United debut with a goal on Friday.

Schneiderlin's fifth-minute header was the difference as United opened their International Champions Cup campaign with a 1-0 win against America in Seattle.

The France midfielder, who completed his big-money switch to Old Trafford from Southampton just hours before the club flew out to the United States for their pre-season tour, rose highest as he steered a looping header across America goalkeeper Hugo Gonzalez.

"It's good to start with a win. The first game is about doing what the manager wants from us," Schneiderlin told MUTV.

"We did our best and we can correct a few things but it's our first game. We want to get better and be ready for the Premier League.

"We worked a lot [on Thursday] on set-pieces and I was told to get to the far post. I was happy to get the ball and it was a great cross from [Juan] Mata. I am very happy to score on my first game for United but the main thing is to get fitness in the first game back in pre-season."

United manager Louis van Gaal praised Schneiderlin, who was replaced by Ander Herrera at half-time.

"He scored with Southampton, I believe five goals, so it is not a coincidence but we have practised this with him so I was very pleased with the performance," the Dutchman said.

"It is also a fact that America don't have many good headers so we knew in advance that our benefit was there."

 

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Gotze: Juventus are a big, big club

Bayern Munich ace Mario Gotze has played down reports that he is on his way to Juventus but nonetheless expressed his admiration for the Serie A champions.The versatile attacker moved to the Allianz Arena in the summer of 2013 after the Bavarians agreed to meet his €37 million buy-out clause at Borussia Dortmund.

However, he has struggled to nail down a regular berth in Pep Guardiola's starting XI and is now being pursued by Juve, who are looking for a new No.10.Gotze has denied that he is set to join the Bianconeri but hinted that he would welcome a move to Turin.

"I think that Juventus reached the Champions League final not by chance but because they had a great season last year," the World Cup winner told Goal.
"They managed to win titles in the last year and they are a big, big club."But, at the moment, I don't want to comment because there's nothing to say ... at the moment.

"I think that playing abroad might be a good experience for me: new languages, new cultures. I might like it."But, as I said, I'm just at the early stage of my career. Let's see what the future brings."

 

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Real Madrid 0-0 Roma (6-7 pens): Benitez begins Blancos reign with shootout failure

Rafael Benitez's first match in charge of Real Madrid ended in defeat as Roma triumped 7-6 on penalties in the International Champions Cup at the MCG on Saturday.

After a goalless 90 minutes, the Serie A side came out on top in the shoot-out thanks to goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis and midfielder Seydou Keita.

De Sanctis saved Lucas Vasquez's spot-kick and Keita stepped up to convert the following effort.

Benitez named a strong starting XI, with the Spaniard handing the captain's armband to Manchester United target Sergio Ramos, while Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Raphael Varane and Marcelo were all selected.

There was also a spot for 16-year-old Norwegian prodigy Martin Odegaard.

Francesco Totti, Daniele De Rossi, Gervinho, Radja Nainggolan and Ashley Cole were included by Roma boss Rudi Garcia.

Roma settled well and came close to breaking the deadlock after just four minutes.

De Rossi rattled the crossbar from inside the six-yard box and his shot sparked a goalmouth scramble as Totti's follow-up effort was cleared off the line by Marcelo.

Real slowly worked their way into the match, with Ramos creating some space at the back post before firing over the bar.

Bale – the liveliest of Real's front three during the first half – picked out Ronaldo inside the penalty area but Cole dispossessed the latter just as he was about to pull the trigger.

Keylor Navas was kept busy approaching the half-hour mark, forced into a save from distance by Totti, who was withdrawn soon after, while the Real goalkeeper also produced a fingertip save to keep out Salih Ucan.

As expected, both sides made a host of half-time changes, with the likes of Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Isco, Miralem Pjanic, Adem Ljajic and Juan Iturbe introduced.

And it had a detrimental impact on the spectacle, though Bale and Seydou Doumbia both had opportunities to break the deadlock early in the second half.

Bale came within a whisker of scoring after his header flashed wide of the post in the 53rd minute, while Doumbia hit the side netting just after.

With extra time looming, Real stepped it up a gear.

After having their penalty shouts for a handball waved away by referee Mark Clattenburg, Benzema played a first-time pass to second-half substitute Vasquez but De Sanctis came to Roma's rescue.

That proved the last piece of action before the shoot-out, which saw Roma convert all seven of their penalties.

 

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Manchester United could make 'surprise' striker signing, hints Van Gaal

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has hinted that he could be set to make a "surprise" striker signing.

Wayne Rooney and youngster James Wilson were the only recognised forwards on the pitch as United kicked off their pre-season with a 1-0 win over America in the International Champions Cup in Seattle on Friday.

The Red Devils have been linked with moves for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani and Bayern Munich frontman Robert Lewandowski following the sale of Robin van Persie to Fenerbahce.

Van Gaal insists that he is not concerned about United's striker situation but nonetheless says that they could add a forward to their ranks before the transfer window shuts on September 1.

"We have Rooney, he can play in striker's position, and all media had written he should play there so I listen and now you put this question so I don't know what you want," the Dutchman told reporters.

"Also [Javier Hernandez] and maybe Wilson and maybe there comes a surprise. It's a process. I'm not worried about that position."

Mexico international striker Hernandez remains on the books at Old Trafford despite spending the 2014-15 season on loan at Real Madrid and he is set to be handed an opportunity to resurrect his United career after the exits of Van Persie and Radamel Falcao.

"Hernandez is coming [to the United States] on July 25," Van Gaal added. "He can prove himself and now Falcao and Van Persie are gone so his chances are better now."

 

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Manchester City target De Bruyne will stay at Wolfsburg - Hecking

Manchester City target Kevin De Bruyne will stay at Wolfsburg this summer, says coach Dieter Hecking.

The former Chelsea midfielder is a long-term target for City but, as revealed by Goal, they have been waiting to see the results of his contract talks with the Bundesliga club before deciding whether or not to push for a deal.

De Bruyne's agent has previously claimed to be in touch with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain about his client but Hecking is now confident that the 24-year-old will stay put for at least another season.

"Kevin is a player the world wants," he told Sky Sports News.

"I think he will stay for a minimum one more year at Wolfsburg."

De Bruyne set a new Bundesliga record with 21 assists in the German top flight last term, drawing attention from across Europe.

When asked about his future, however, the midfielder replied: "Sorry, I have been told not to talk."

 

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Bayern Munich 4-1 Valencia: Muller stars in easy win for Guardiola's men

Thomas Muller netted a double for Bayern Munich as they strolled to a 4-1 win over Valencia in Saturday's friendly, in which Douglas Costa made a promising start to life at his new club.

Costa joined Bayern from Shakhtar Donetsk earlier this month, and put in an impressive showing alongside his new team-mates in this comfortable victory in Beijing.The Brazilian set up Bayern's third goal for Thiago Alcantara, after Thomas Muller had netted a first-half brace for the Bundesliga champions.

Those two Muller strikes came either side of Rodrigo's headed equaliser for Valencia, before Robert Lewandowski added a classy fourth with 20 minutes remaining.

It was an assured display from Bayern, who will also face Inter and Guangzhou Evergrande on this trip to China before their competitive action resumes in the German Super Cup against Wolfsburg on August 1.

Muller's first goal arrived in fine style in the 16th minute, as Philipp Lahm got in down the right and cut the ball back for the forward, who smashed home first time from just inside the area.Costa then teed up Thiago, but his flick struck the post and Valencia took advantage of that let-off to level in the 27th minute.

Rodrigo de Paul was the creator, drifting in a cross from the left which found Rodrigo unmarked six yards out to head into the bottom right corner.It seemed as though the two sides would head into the break level but in first-half stoppage time, Lahm's incisive pass picked out Muller in space, and he took a touch before placing a calm finish into the net.

And Bayern further extended their advantage nine minutes into the second period.
Once again Costa and Thiago linked up to good effect, and this time the latter made no mistake after getting on the end of the debutant's low ball across the six-yard line.

Lewandowski rounded off the scoring 15 minutes later and it was all his own making as the Poland striker cut back on his right foot from the left byline a curled a sublime finish into the far corner.