Manchester City Transfer News and Rumours Tracker: Week of August 4

If you take Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano at his word, City are no longer interested in participating in the summer transfer market.

"We have a new right-back, a new holding midfielder and we will have a new central defender and that’s it. We don’t need to sign new players for the sake of it," he told reporters recently.

Of course, necessity can be the mother of reinvention when it comes to these sorts of sentiments. City signed Martin Demichelis very late in last summer's transfer window after Vincent Kompany was injured in the opening match of the 2013-14 Premier League season.

Assuming that City manager Manuel Pellegrini's team maintains sufficient health, though, it seems safe to accept Soriano's pronouncement as true.

Besides, there are still some loose ends to tie up, as the following slides will attest.

Eliaquim Mangala

Paulo Duarte/Associated Press

Mangala will finally become City property if recent reports are accurate.

In the same story reciting Soriano's declaration that City are closing up transfer shop, the Daily Mail's Chris Wheeler reported that City are at long last about to sign Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala.

"Mangala’s arrival has been held up due to issues over third-party ownership but City hope to conclude protracted negotiations before next weekend’s Community Shield against Arsenal at Wembley," wrote Wheeler.

Wheeler also revealed that Mangala "has already passed a medical and agreed personal terms, and his signing will take the club’s outlay on new players this summer to a relatively modest £50 million," with £32 million of that amount earmarked for the Mangala acquisition.

Just last summer, Adam Crafton of the Daily Mail suggested City were "deterred by the £30 million asking price" Porto had for Mangala.

Watching Demichelis scythe down Lionel Messi in the Champions League may have caused City to reevaluate that stance.

Frank Lampard

ADOLFO LEE/Associated Press

You're right, it is strange to see Lampard in that shade of blue.

Politics makes strange bedfellows, and so it appears does professional sports.

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard was recently signed by New York City FC, Manchester City's new Major League Soccer franchise set to debut in that league next season.

Lampard is 36 and thus appeared set to join the likes of Thierry Henry and David Beckham as a former European league star who could excel in MLS on skill and guile more than pure athleticism.

But in the immortal words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend!"

According to Sky Sports, "City have secured former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard on a six-month loan deal. The 36-year-old will join up with his new City teammates on Wednesday and will be at the Etihad Stadium until January."

Would City really consider having Lampard play a real role for the club this season? Apparently so. Wheeler noted Lampard "is set to be included in City’s squad for both the Premier League and Champions League this season."

Lampard in City's sky blue will be a strange sight for City and Chelsea supporters alike.

Edin Dzeko

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Dzeko's new contract should give him plenty of reasons to smile.

This site—and this humble correspondent—have written Edin Dzeko's Manchester City obituary so many times. City fans should be grateful that reports of Dzeko's demise at City were greatly exaggerated.

According to Paul Clennam of Goal, Dzeko has signed a new four-year contract with City. "Dzeko has not been offered an improvement on his current £150,000-a-week terms but has agreed to the deal, which now runs until 2018," Clennam noted.

It is difficult to imagine Dzeko ever having more leverage at City than he did in the days leading to his new contract. Alvaro Negredo is out of action until October and Sergio Aguero always seems one misstep away from missing a month.

Dzeko scored 26 goals in all competitions last season. Many of them—including this gem at Crystal Palace—were invaluable.

James Milner

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Milner wants to play, but City keep piling midfielders atop him on the roster.

Edin Dzeko just signed a new deal and is pleased with his role at Manchester City. That makes him more or less the polar opposite of James Milner these days.

"Milner will only sign a new contract at Manchester City if the England midfielder feels he is going to be given a chance to contribute to the club’s success," wrote Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail.

"Hopefully I can be here for a long time to come, but that’s determined by how much football I get. I just want to feel like I’m contributing," Milner told Wheeler.

As long as City keep bringing in the likes of Fernando and Fernandinho, though, it is hard to imagine Milner getting too many chances to play in meaningful matches at the Etihad.