Calling True or False on 3 Recent Manchester City Transfer Rumours

It’s been quite a week for Manchester City. On Tuesday, it was announced the City Football Group (CFG), the holding company that owns City, New York City and Melbourne City, had sold a 13 per cent stake to Chinese investors for £265 million.

It’s a deal that looks likely to lead to huge commercial opportunities opening up in China, a massive and relatively untapped market.

When Sheikh Mansour bought the club back in 2008 for around £200 million, no one could have envisaged the changes he would make. Back then, City were loaded with debt, had a poor infrastructure and had a playing squad that needed investment.

They are now a successful team, with the finest training and youth-development facilities in England. With CFG meaning clubs across the globe now bear the City name, with a conglomerate of teams sharing data, scouting information and staff, who knows where their quest will end.

Inevitably, the new investment has led to talk of big-name arrivals at the Etihad in the coming transfer windows. City are often at the centre of transfer speculation, but that looks likely to increase in light of the new capital poured into CFG.

Here we look at some of the recent links and decide whether they are, indeed, factual or simply the figment of somebody’s imagination.

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1. Lionel Messi 

The name that will now be linked with a move to the Blues even more is Lionel Messi, the Barcelona forward who, according to many, is the best player to have ever played the game.

David Anderson, writing in the Mirror, believes the new investment in City’s parent company could well see them attempt to lure Messi to the Etihad, as well as his former boss at the Nou Camp, Pep Guardiola, who is now in charge at Bayern Munich.

Messi’s ability is unrivalled—no one else moves as comfortably with the ball at his feet. There is no club in the world that would not want him in their side.

He has scored 421 goals in 495 games for the club, winning seven La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, Olympic Gold with Argentina and much more.

But it’s also the commercial prospects that will appeal to a club desperate to grow their appeal across the globe. He’s one of the most marketable players in the game, and City, aware that their name is still in need of some added gravitas in many countries, would benefit hugely from signing him.

Of course, it would be the most complicated deal in the game to complete. Messi is Barcelona’s prized asset. They are arguably the most powerful club in the world. Selling him would be an admission of their diminishing financial muscle when compared to the riches of the Premier League.

It isn't, however, as much of a pipe dream as it once was. City are now an established elite side, they are vastly wealthy and La Liga is lagging behind in terms of television revenue. 

Verdict: Interest is true, but will it happen? It’s a deal mired in complications, so probably not. FALSE

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2. Jesus Navas

According to TuttoMercatoWeb.com (h/t Mark Brus at Metro), Jesus Navas is the subject of interest from Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger is thought to be weighing up a bid in case Alexis Sanchez was to leave the Emirates in the summer.

Brus believes Navas is unhappy with his role at City and claims the winger is desperate for more first-team involvement.

Would Pellegrini realistically want to sell Navas, a player he clearly values and one who brings professionalism and hard work into everything he does? It seems unlikely. 

He’s made 20 appearances for City already this season. Pellegrini invariably finds a way of getting him on to the pitch, with his direct style, and quick, touchline-hugging running in contrast to many of City’s other attacking players.

He provides superb cover for his full-back and assists goals, and in the recent games home and away against former club Sevilla he gave his best performances yet for the Blues. 

He signed in the summer of 2013 for £14.9 million and, although he isn't a world-class winger, has provided City with dynamism and pace, which they badly lacked before he arrived. 

He is sometimes criticised, by the media and the City fans, but Navas is a valuable player and an excellent professional. 

Verdict: Definitely FALSE

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3. Nelson Semedo

Right-back Nelson Semedo, who plays for Benfica, is another rumoured to be interesting City, according to O Jogo (h/t James Benge in the London Evening Standard). 

Semedo, 22, is an attack-minded full-back, and with City struggling for numbers in that area, it makes sense that they would be looking to bring new faces in.

Pablo Zabaleta is still considered to be City’s best right-back, but the 30-year-old has spent much of the season on the sidelines through injury.

It’s a new concept for Zabaleta, the man who became known as City’s Mr. Reliable, an indestructible player who, it felt, was immune to injury. His two-month layoff at the start of the season is the longest of his career so far.

In his absence, Bacary Sagna has excelled, but he is 32 and perhaps nearing the end of his top-level career. The former Arsenal man has been defensively sound all season—a significant improvement on his debut year at the club—but going forward, he perhaps lacks the quality City desire. 

Semedo is a player known for his ability to make runs beyond his winger, supporting attacks with either overlapping or underlapping runs.

He made his international debut last month, and AC Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea are also thought to be interested. 

He's young, quick, energetic and possesses attacking instincts. 

Verdict: TRUE

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Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.