Manchester City in talks with Rennes over winger Jeremy Doku; City's Lucas Paqueta talks with West Ham on hold amid betting investigation concerns; Paris Saint-Germain give up on trying to sign Bernardo Silva; City defender Aymeric Laporte set to join Al Nassr in £25m deal
Monday 21 August 2023 18:13, UK
Manchester City are in talks with Rennes over a deal for winger Jeremy Doku.
City are looking for another forward after selling Riyad Mahrez to Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli for £30m and Doku has emerged as a leading contender to replace the Algerian.
The 21-year-old is a Belgium international and has been linked with a number of Premier League teams this summer.
Sky Sports News has been told West Ham had a bid rejected by Rennes for Doku earlier this month with the Hammers unlikely to go back in for him following City's interest.
Doku has already scored in his first two games for Rennes this season and scored six last term in Ligue 1.
Doku could become City's third major summer signing after the arrivals of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic, with the Croatian pair costing a combined £107.6m.
City's talks with West Ham over the signing of Lucas Paqueta are on hold amid concerns surrounding an FA and FIFA betting investigation.
The investigation is believed to centre around Paqueta getting booked in games, with the bets being placed in Brazil, and the 25-year-old will now miss his country's World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Bolivia in September.
He was booked nine times for club and country last season.
Paqueta, who is willing to cooperate in any way with any investigation, says he has not placed any bets himself and is shocked by the reports.
An £80m deal for Paqueta to join Man City has almost been agreed and could still happen if the issue is cleared up quickly.
In the meantime, Paqueta is focused on playing for West Ham and scored a late penalty in Sunday's 3-1 home win over Chelsea.
The FA and Man City have declined to comment. Sky Sports News has also approached FIFA for comment.
Paris Saint-Germain have given up trying to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City this summer.
The 29-year-old had been one of their top targets and the French champions believe they were close to a deal, but they now accept and respect the fact that the player is not for sale.
They expect the Portugal international to sign a new City contract with Silva having two years left on his current City deal.
On Saturday, City boss Pep Guardiola said it was his "dream" to see Silva and Kyle Walker sign new City contracts.
PSG sporting director Luis Campos knows Silva well and they worked together at Monaco.
Man City defender Aymeric Laporte is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday to complete a transfer to Al Nassr.
The clubs have agreed a deal worth £25m for the 29-year-old, who joined City from Athletic Bilbao in a £57m deal in January 2018.
The Spaniard will undergo a medical next and terms on a three-year deal are ready to sign.
Who will be on the move this summer ahead of the transfer window closing at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
